Former oil worker left 'terrified' as Grangemouth redundancies begin

An oil worker has said he has been left “terrified” as redundancies have officially begun after Petro-Ineos announced the end of a century of oil refining at Grangemouth.

Petro-Ineos, which runs the refinery, notified staff by email that all oil refining work had ended and that the first group of redundant workers are leaving the plant – with 200 to depart by the end of June.

The company described ceasing refining at Grangemouth as the “end of an era”, but for workers being made redundant it feels like much more than that.

Andrew Peterson, who’s father and grandfather worked at Grangemouth before him, described the move as “devastating”.

He left work at the refinery for the final time on Wednesday and now fears he may have to move abroad to find employment.

“I would say there’s a flurry of emotions,” he told STV News. “I’m a little bit excited and what’s to come next, but a little bit terrified that I don’t have anything lined up.

“I was one of the first batches of people to leave. There’s more to come in May and June. There’s no real equivalent job near here.

“We’re just going to need to go where the jobs are.”

MiAlgae produce microalgae, rich in marine Omega-3s, grown using by-products from whisky distillation. STV News

Project Willow came up with options to transform the refinery site into a hub for green technology.

Biotechnology company MiAlgae could be one of the first companies ready to move to the site, and hopes to employ some PetroIneos staff before they spend their 18 months redundancy pay.

Douglas Martin, founder and managing director of MiAlgae, said: “Over the first phase we’re looking at creating around 100 jobs, which I think from our side is really exciting.

“I feel good about being part of that transition.

“We’re retraining people out of Grangemouth already and the process is built in a way that allows us to do that so we’re certainly looking to be hiring towards the end of the year.”