Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 11 December 2025
11 Dec 2025 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Grangemouth (Just Transition)
I thank Michelle Thomson for that question and for her dogged determination in holding both Governments to account on our duties to step in and secure the future for Grangemouth.
It is right to say that the UK Government pledged £200 million of National Wealth Fund moneys to projects associated with Grangemouth. On a number of occasions, I have made the case to UK ministers on the imperative of releasing that money as soon as possible.
The National Wealth Fund should be a far more flexible operation than it has been in the past. It is waiting for projects to get to the financial investment decision stage. Obviously, we were using the £25 million just transition fund to help projects to get to the FID stage.
The National Wealth Fund needs to be a lot more flexible. I had a chat with Michael Shanks, the UK energy minister, about that this morning, and he agrees with me. The National Wealth Fund is engaging with prospective developers, as are the Scottish Government and its partners. We need clarity that National Wealth Fund moneys will be deployed in the near future, and I hope to be able to say that more of that £200 million will be able to be deployed in the future.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a statement by Gillian Martin on progressing a just transition at Grangemouth. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the ...
The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy (Gillian Martin)
SNP
I am delighted to update the Parliament on the tangible progress that is being made to secure Grangemouth’s long-term and sustainable future. The industrial ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for that, after which we will need t...
Meghan Gallacher (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement. This is a step in the right direction for my constituents in Falkirk, Grangemouth and the w...
Gillian Martin
SNP
There were quite a lot of questions in there. I will try to deal with them all. We are funding a skills intervention, delivered by Forth Valley College, to ...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
I, too, thank the minister for providing advance sight of her statement. The £3 million investment in MiAlgae is, of course, welcome. It comes with £1.5 mill...
Gillian Martin
SNP
I warmly welcome the spirit in which Daniel Johnson made his remarks. It has been a highly collaborative process. From the get-go, I and the UK energy minist...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
A large number of colleagues want to ask a question, so I would be grateful for brevity in the questions and the responses.
Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the cabinet secretary and all our Scottish agencies for their determined efforts to create a just transition for Grangemouth. I note that the UK Gove...
Gillian Martin
SNP
I thank Michelle Thomson for that question and for her dogged determination in holding both Governments to account on our duties to step in and secure the fu...
Douglas Lumsden (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
Can the cabinet secretary tell me whether the closures of the Grangemouth refinery and the Exxon plant at Mossmorran have impacted on the viability of the Ac...
Gillian Martin
SNP
It was very disappointing to hear that Storegga is walking away from the Acorn project, but Acorn remains a very attractive going concern. The point has been...
Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP)
SNP
I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for her statement and for the announcement of new investment in the Grangemouth area in the coming years. The cabinet...
Gillian Martin
SNP
I absolutely agree with the sentiment of Michael Matheson’s question. We must look at short-term, medium-term and long-term opportunities for Grangemouth. Wh...
Richard Leonard (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I remind members of my voluntary register of interests. I welcome today’s announcement of new jobs in Grangemouth. I have a long-held view that the fate of ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
We will need briefer questions and responses.
Gillian Martin
SNP
I will use the two companies that we announced funding for today as an example. Celtic Renewables is already on the Grangemouth future industry board, as is ...
Bob Doris (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)
SNP
It is clear that investment can bring success; we saw that with the jobs announcement. The £14.5 million funding for Grangemouth that was announced in the UK...
Gillian Martin
SNP
It is a long overdue step in the right direction, as Bob Doris mentioned. Let me be clear: the UK Government can and must go further, just as it has in other...
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Green
The future of Grangemouth has always been linked to Mossmorran, and for decades they have shared a common workforce. A few weeks ago, the Deputy First Minist...
Gillian Martin
SNP
The Deputy First Minister is with me just now and she is leading on the Mossmorran situation, after the very disappointing announcement by ExxonMobil. Althou...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I declare an interest, as my wife works for Celtic Renewables, so she will be very pleased this evening, although she has kept the news very secret over the ...
Gillian Martin
SNP
There are a number of things in that question, and I want to give members some of the detail. Those workers have access to skills opportunities at Forth Vall...
Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
Despite election promises to save jobs at the refinery, the Labour UK Government failed to intervene to prevent its closure. Does the cabinet secretary share...
Gillian Martin
SNP
I do. Notwithstanding that we have been collaborating very closely on the issues with Grangemouth, we need to look at the interventions that have been made i...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
We are over time for the statement and questions. I am conscious that we have additional time this afternoon, so I will get the other speakers in, but they w...
Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
A report by Future Economy Scotland found that only one green job is created for every three that are lost in the oil and gas supply chain. The new jobs at G...
Gillian Martin
SNP
The member would expect me, in my role, to be speaking to representatives from across the energy sector wholesale, and they are squarely putting out the fact...
Liam Kerr
Con
I was waiting for an answer.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
Can we please ask questions with a degree of respect and also listen to the responses with a degree of respect? I will give some latitude for members to resp...