Oil industry could see job cuts like Grangemouth every fortnight, report warns
He said: 'The independent expert advice is clear, we will see a Grangemouth scale of job losses each and every fortnight if the UK Government does not shift from its misguided position and protect the energy industry of today, so that the workforce can use their skills and expertise to develop the net zero industries of tomorrow.
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The Independent
10 hours ago
- The Independent
84 inquiries for projects at Grangemouth received by Government, MSPs told
The Scottish Government has received 84 inquiries about projects for Grangemouth, MSPs have been told. The refinery on the site was converted into an import terminal earlier this year, with the loss of more than 400 jobs. The decision was announced last year by owner Petroineos, citing the financial unsustainability of the facility. In response to the impending closure, the UK Government, the Scottish Government and Petroineos started work on what became known as Project Willow, a report which laid out the potential future of the site in areas such as sustainable aviation fuel. Speaking at a meeting of the Economy and Fair Work Committee in the Scottish Parliament, Jan Robertson, the Grangemouth director for Scottish Enterprise, said: 'As of today, we've had 84 inquiries and we've been working through and triaging them.' Ms Robertson told the committee there was a 'mixture of inquiries', including those interested in the site as well as some which 'have a good opportunity to become projects in the relatively near-term'. 'What I mean by that is the next three to four years,' she said. 'Our approach very much at the moment is working with those and working as closely and quickly as we can to make the progress that we want to see in Grangemouth.' Speaking later in the session, Holyrood acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin said the 'door's not closed' to companies and inquiries could still be made about working at Grangemouth, adding that Petroineos had also received approaches. Ms Martin said she was hopeful for the future of Grangemouth. 'We could look back five years and start pointing fingers, but the most important thing is that in the last year – actually the last six months – Project Willow and the task force have moved things along in a way that's been swift, agile, focused,' she said. 'I am feeling so much more confident than I did this time last year in the prospects for that site.' Ms Martin added that she hoped, with approval from the cabinet, a just transition plan for Grangemouth would be published next week.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Greenock sprinter gears up for British title tilt with lifetime best 400m finish
A GREENOCK Glenpark Harriers athlete continued his rich vein of 2025 form by recording another lifetime best at the weekend - as he prepares to compete alongside the best of British in just a few weeks' time. Sprinter Simon Okiti recorded a time of 49.27 seconds as he triumphed in the 400-metre race at the Scottish National Athletics League's latest meeting in Grangemouth – stepping up his preparations for the UK Under-23 Championships later this summer. Advertisement It was the latest eye-catching performance in an impressive season for the young runner, who began his season by winning gold and two silvers at the Scottish Students Sport University Track and Field Championships in Aberdeen in April. Simon Okiti's impressive 2025 performances continued with a lifetime's best time over 400 metres in Grangemouth on Sunday. (Image: Supplied) This time around, in reasonably calm conditions (at least for Scotland), Simon took part in two races, contesting the 100m and 400m distances. In the 100m, Simon's first race of the day, he started slightly behind his rivals, but an injection of pace mid-race saw him pull through the field to create a blanket finish alongside his competitors. A photo was required to confirm Simon's third place finish, though in another season's best time. Advertisement In the longer 400m sprint later in the day, Simon's natural speed provided him with a real advantage as he quickly pulled in the stagger of the athletes on his outside approaching the back straight. Simon Okiti recorded a lifetime's best time of 49.27 seconds in the 400m race at Grangemouth on Sunday. (Image: Greenock Glenpark Harriers) Already with a lead as he powered through the 200m mark, Simon dug deep into his reserves to take the final bend and the home straight, holding his form to cross the line in a lifetime's best. His impressive Grangemouth display came just a week after Simon represented the Glasgow Jaguars in the UK Athletic League's Premier Division in Eton, in which he'd recorded his previous season's best over 100m – a performance which earned him the task of anchoring the club's 4x100m relay squad later in the same event. Next up on Simon's busy 2025 schedule is a trip to Cardiff for the British U23 Athletics Championships, taking place at the Cardiff International Sports Campus on June 28 and 29. Advertisement The Cardiff event also serves as the trials for the European U23 Championships, which are being held in Bergen in Norway from July 17-20. Simon is also aiming to build on an impressive 2024 campaign which saw him catch the eye in the UK National Athletic League and the Scottish National Senior Track and Field Championships, underlining his status as Inverclyde's fastest athlete.
The Independent
03-06-2025
- The Independent
Oil industry could see job cuts like Grangemouth every fortnight, report warns
The number of jobs in the UK oil and gas sector could plunge to just 57,000 in the next few years, with a report warning there could be the equivalent of 400 cut every fortnight. That level of job losses would be the same as the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery every two weeks, according to research by Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University. It said in 'low-case scenarios', where the UK makes 'slower progress' as the country transitions towards renewable energy, jobs in the oil and gas workforce would drop from 115,000 at present to 'as low as 57,000 by the early 2030s'. The report added this would be a 'reduction of around 400 jobs – equivalent to the closure of the Grangemouth refinery – every two weeks'. With almost one in 30 Scottish workers currently employed in either the offshore energy sector, or an industry which supports it – compared to one in 220 across the UK – it highlighted how the 'potential risks for Scotland's supply chain and workforce are substantial'. Figures for 2024 show there were 154,000 people employed in the offshore energy sector – with 75% in the oil and gas sector and the remaining 25% in renewables. The Striking The Balance report noted the production of oil is now down by 'almost 75% from its peak' in 1999-2000, when it produced the equivalent of 4.5 million barrels of oil per day. This has now dropped to 1.09 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, with the report noting that without new licences being granted 'the oil and gas industry is forecast to decline by around 95% by 2050 from 2024 levels'. The report said: 'Depending on which scenario will play out, the direct and indirect UK oil and gas workforce is expected to fall from 115,000 to between 57,000 and 71,000 by the early 2030s, with further declines to between 33,000 and 48,000 by 2035.' SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn challenged Westminster to act in the wake of the report. He said: 'The independent expert advice is clear, we will see a Grangemouth scale of job losses each and every fortnight if the UK Government does not shift from its misguided position and protect the energy industry of today, so that the workforce can use their skills and expertise to develop the net zero industries of tomorrow. 'The opportunities of net zero are enormous but they will not be realised if the Labour Government continues with its current fiscal regime that deters stability, confidence and investment in existing industries and we therefore lose our best people, and world-class supply chain, to nations elsewhere.' Scottish Conservative energy spokesman and North East Scotland MSP Douglas Lumsden insisted however that both the Scottish and UK governments need to change their approach. He said the 'alarming' report 'lays bare the economic vandalism caused by both Labour and the SNP's opposition to oil and gas'. He added: 'John Swinney and Keir Starmer have disgracefully sat back while jobs continue to be lost throughout the sector as both remain totally oblivious to the fact that renewables alone can't yet satisfy our energy needs.' Pressed on the issue in Holyrood, Scottish climate action minister Alasdair Allan vowed ministers will 'learn' from the report, saying: 'We hope the UK Government will too.' While some areas regarding energy are devolved to Holyrood, he added that others are reserved to Westminster and 'we must get helpful decisions from the UK Government'. He said the UK Government could provide a 'full funding package' for the Acorn carbon capture and storage project in Aberdeenshire in next week's comprehensive spending review. A spokesperson for the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: 'We have taken rapid steps to deliver the next generation of good jobs for North Sea workers in a fair and orderly transition as part of our Plan for Change, including by making the biggest investment in offshore wind and two first-of-a-kind carbon capture storage clusters. 'This comes alongside Great British Energy, headquartered in Aberdeen, which has already announced a £300 million investment into British supply chains, unlocking significant investment and helping to create thousands of skilled jobs
