An Aberdeen-based company is involved in plans to rescue Scotland’s last oil refinery and the 400 jobs at risk, it has been confirmed.
Stacey Oil Services is representing a North American company that has expressed an interest in buying Grangemouth.
However, a spokesperson for Petroineos said it had seen “no evidence of a credible bid for the refinery”, adding: “If a genuine offer is forthcoming, we will engage seriously with it.”
The bid from the mystery firm was revealed by Falkirk East MSP Michelle Thomson after she said she had found a potential buyer.
Petroineos announced last week that it plans to cut 400 jobs at the plant and transition it from a refinery to a fuel import terminal.
It said the site had been making hundreds of millions of pounds worth of losses and could not compete with bigger, newer refineries across Africa and Asia.
When approached last week, Petroineos suggested it had not heard from the North American firm despite the refinery being on the market for the last year.
Thomson, who said she could not disclose all the details after signing a non-disclosure agreement, said the potential buyer’s current plans would save all jobs currently at risk.
Petroineos said it had reached out to Thomson.
Scotland’s energy secretary said at the weekend she was “wary” of talk of a potential buyer of the Grangemouth refinery.
Gillian Martin said the Scottish Government had “no idea” who the potential buyer was.
“I think one of the things that I’m slightly wary of is the fact that Petroineos actually said around late November last year that their intention was to close the refinery in its current form and turn it into an import terminal,” she said.
“I would have imagined that if anyone was interested in taking over the refinery, that would have been the key point to get in touch, but obviously, I don’t know the background of these people.”
First Minister John Swinney urged Petroineos to reconsider its “premature” decision which will see the plant close in the second quarter of 2025.
“I talk to the company, my ministers talk to the company, I’ve talked to the workforce,” he said
“We’ve made the point that we thought this was premature, the UK Government has talked to them, but we were told yesterday morning this is what was going to be happening.
“I think the decision is premature and I would encourage Petroineos to consider what options there are to prolong the life of the refinery.”
Stacey Oil Services has been approached for comment.
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