Up to 460 new jobs are expected to be created at the Grangemouth Industrial Cluster and surrounding area following £8.5 million of new Scottish government funding. The investment is aimed at supporting ‘green energy’ and sustainable manufacturing projects that will help secure the site’s long-term future.
Scottish biotech company
MiAlgae will receive £1.5 million from the Grangemouth Just Transition Fund, enabling the creation of up to 310 jobs over the next five years. MiAlgae is developing fish-free omega-3 from algae by re-purposing whisky byproducts, saving an estimated 30 tonnes of fish for every tonne of algae produced and reducing pressure on global fish stocks. The funding will be match-funded by the UK Government and administered by
Scottish Enterprise, with an expected £53 million boost to the Scottish economy over the same period.
Celtic Renewables will receive £6.23 million to support pre-construction work for a new bio-refinery at Grangemouth, creating up to 149 roles by 2030. The facility will convert waste from the food, drink and farming sectors into acetone, butanol and ethanol—chemicals widely used in products such as nail varnish remover and cleaning agents. A further £0.6 million will go to Scottish Enterprise for planning and infrastructure improvements to make the site more attractive for future investment.
‘Green energy” hubAll projects are supported through the Grangemouth Just Transition Fund to encourage further investment and demonstrate the cluster’s potential as a hub for ‘green energy’ and sustainable manufacturing. An additional £150,000 will be awarded to
CVS Falkirk over three years to ensure community voices are represented in the delivery of the Grangemouth Just Transition Plan.
Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said: “The Scottish government will continue to do all that it can to support and promote local opportunities, jobs and growth, in the Grangemouth area. Today’s announcement will help to support the creation of up to 460 roles directly and across the supply chain in Scotland, and help to highlight the wide range of viable alternatives for Grangemouth. They demonstrate that a long-term, new industrial future at Grangemouth is achievable, and will be vital to support the local workforce and community. This funding is only the start of the Scottish government’s support to help safeguard Grangemouth’s role as a leading industrial cluster, and ensure the site continues to support our economy through new, ‘green’ investment opportunities.”
Jan Robertson, director of Grangemouth Transition at Scottish Enterprise, concluded: “It is wonderful to see this support going to two companies we have worked with intensively since their inceptions. Seeing MiAlgae break ground on its first commercial-scale plant, as well as announcing the latest stage in Celtic Renewables’ growth journey, are causes to celebrate. Grangemouth is the perfect location for innovative Scottish scale-ups to grow, creating high-quality jobs and supply chain opportunities for the whole community. We also welcome the additional £0.6 million Scottish government funding to accelerate our important infrastructure improvement work at Grangemouth, which will unlock further investment at the cluster and support the creation of new jobs.”