Miliband vows to consider support for Acorn project to help Grangemouth workers

Ed Miliband has said he will “consider” fast-tracking a carbon capture and storage project in Scotland – adding the move could help secure a future for workers at the Grangemouth oil refinery.

The site, which is Scotland’s only oil refinery, is due to close in the coming months, with owners at Petroineos having already sent out redundancy notices to some of the 400 workers there.

But with a pipeline connecting the site there to the proposed Acorn carbon capture and storage project in Aberdeenshire, fast tracking that development could help secure a future for Grangemouth.

This would take climate damaging  CO2 emissions from Grangemouth’s industrial processes, and transport them to Acorn – from where they would be sent to be stored in subsea rock formations underneath the North Sea.

The UK Government has already provided funding for two similar carbon capture clusters, in Merseyside and Teesside – with Scottish First Minister John Swinney criticising ministers in London for their lack of support so far for the Acorn scheme.

Asked on Friday if he would commit to fast-tracking the project to help secure “some sort of future for Grangemouth”, Mr Miliband said he would “obviously look” at such a proposal.

The UK Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary told Times Radio: “We are determined to have a future for that Grangemouth site and for the Grangemouth community.

“That’s what we’re working on, actually, alongside the Scottish Government, something called Project Willow, which is a whole project which will be published later this month or early next, on looking at how we can … make the most of the potential resources at Grangemouth.

“Carbon capture and storage could be part of it, sustainable aviation fuel could be part of it.”

Speaking about Grangemouth, Mr Miliband said: “There’s huge potential on that site, and we are absolutely determined, for the sake of that community, the Scottish economy, the UK economy, to to do that.”

His comments came after Mr Swinney told MSPs on Thursday he was “becoming increasingly impatient” about the lack of support given to the Acorn carbon capture and storage project by politicians at Westminster.

The First Minister said he had been “assured” by the previous Conservative government that the project would go ahead, but it “has not been taken forward by the Labour Government”.

He also recalled Labour had “promised” to help the Grangemouth workers during last year’s general election campaign, with Mr Swinney saying so far this had “not been fulfilled”.

Russell Borthwick, the chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile welcomed Mr Miliband’s comments.

Mr Borthwick said: “The Secretary of State is right to consider an accelerated timeline for Acorn, which is an economic imperative for both the north-east and wider Scottish economy.

“There is no better opportunity to deliver economic growth and clean power, two stated missions of the government, than progressing the Scottish cluster.”

He added: “Carbon capture technology is game-changing technology which can create tens of thousands of jobs across the country.

“However, if we are serious about decarbonisation, then we must move much faster and more comprehensively than we have to date.

“The UK will need all five of its proposed carbon capture clusters – and possibly more – if it is to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“Therefore, the Government should be progressing all clusters at pace, in particular the Acorn project in Aberdeenshire, which the Prime Minister has seen for himself is shovel ready.”