Go ahead for £800m of new power projects in Fife and Grangemouth
Funding has been secured to push ahead with two major energy projects in Fife and at Grangemouth.
Fife
Fife power-connectors firm plugs in £1m UAE deal
A Fife services company has secured a £1 million contract to provide its power connectors to one of the biggest electricity and water authorities in the United Arab Emirates.
Wood moves to cut workforce at Fife’s Mossmorran gas plant
A number of workers at a major Fife gas processing plant are facing a bleak Christmas after being placed on notice of redundancy.
INEOS strikes deal with ExxonMobil and Shell to supply US shale gas to Fife Ethylene Plant
INEOS has struck a deal with ExxonMobil Chemical and Shell Chemicals Europe to supply ethane from US shale gas from Grangemouth to the Fife Ethylene Plant. The purchase agreement will be from the middle of 2017 and it is hoped access to this source will help complement supplies from North Sea natural gas fields. Geir Tuft, business director at INEOS O&P UK, said the deal was a “landmark agreement”.
Longannet likely to close after failed contract bid
Scottish Power will likely close its coal-fired power station at Longannet in Fife next year. The announcement comes after the energy firm lost out on a contract from National Grid. A Peterhead gas-fired power station owned and operated by SSE was selected to provide voltage support services to National Grid between April 2016 and September 2017. About 270 people are currently employed at Longannet.
Warning on Longannet future
The Scottish Government will do everything in its power to prevent the premature closure of Longannet, the Deputy First Minister has pledged. John Swinney was speaking in advance of a visit to the troubled Fife power station, which will close by the end of March next year unless it secures a short-term National Grid contract. A decision on the contract, which is to help maintain voltage levels in the electricity supply from April 2016 to October 2017, is expected by the end of the month. The Scottish Power-operated coal-fired station is under pressure from new European Union environmental legislation and carbon taxation combined with higher transmission charges to connect to the grid due to its location in Scotland.