Ineos has hit back at a Holyrood committee’s claims it refused to provide formal evidence into the net zero transition for Grangemouth.
The petrochemical giant's Scottish base is home to oil, chemical and power plants, and emits around three million tonnes of CO2 per year. However, the firm has set a target to achieve net zero emissions by 2045, including plans to develop a “world-scale, low-carbon” hydrogen manufacturing plant at the site.
The Economy and Fair Work Committee wrote to Ineos bosses to express disappointment at what it said was the organisation’s refusal to attend a formal evidence session as part of its inquiry.
An Ineos Grangemouth spokesperson has now responded: “We provided formal written responses to the inquiry into the just transition for the Grangemouth area, in collaboration with our partners – Forth Green Freeport and the Grangemouth Future Industry Board.
“Additionally, Forth Ports, in their role as lead in the Forth Green Freeport, have provided evidence at committee, including information we supplied.
“We have also hosted the committee to our Grangemouth site for the morning of March 20 to discuss and openly share our net zero roadmap, our commitment to achieve net zero by 2045 and our activities and engagement with the community in which we operate.
“We are somewhat dismayed that in social media posts from the committee, they have focused on the idea that we have not provided ‘formal’ evidence.
“This is not balanced with recognition of the ‘formal’ evidence provided via our partners nor our engagement during more than three-and-a-half hours that the committee spent at our site.”
As the committee’s inquiry looks into how to support and incentivise the transition in the region, convener Claire Baker wrote to Colin Pritchard, the firm’s sustainability director at Grangemouth.
The committee visited the site last month as part of its inquiry, but wanted industry bosses to give formal evidence in the Scottish Parliament.
Baker said a letter sent to the committee from Prichard on 21 April said Ineos would not engage formally with the inquiry, despite an “informative” visit to the Grangemouth site.
In a response, the Mid Scotland and Fife MSP said: “The committee discussed your letter this week and agreed I should write expressing our disappointment and surprise that Ineos is unwilling to engage formally, on the record, with our inquiry.
“The committee was keen to hear from Ineos, on the record, to highlight the ongoing work the company has undertaken around the transition, especially in relation to employee relations.
“It is regrettable that Ineos has turned down the committee’s invitation.”
Baker went on to say the decision was a “missed opportunity” for the company, adding: “I anticipate the committee’s report will acknowledge that an informal visit took place, but Ineos declined the committee’s invitation to provide formal evidence.”
In September 2021, Ineos announced £1bn of investment at Grangemouth, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045 - building on a 37% reduction in net CO2 emissions already delivered since acquiring the site in 2005.
The company has already committed more than £500m on projects which are currently being implemented, including a New Energy Plant, which is due for completion in late 2023 and will supply energy to all site operations.
Its latest plans should deliver a reduction in excess of 60% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 through a series of investments, partnerships and 'innovative engineering'. This involves a move to the production and use of hydrogen by all businesses at the Grangemouth, accompanied by carbon capture and storage of at least one million tonnes per annum of CO2 by 2030.
Last year, Ineos began inviting engineering contractors to tender for the next stage of the design of the project.
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