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Grangemouth start-up process begins Grangemouth start-up 'will two to three weeks'
(about 4 hours later)
The process of restarting the Grangemouth oil refinery and petrochemicals plant has begun after workers agreed to a "survival plan". The Grangemouth oil refinery and petrochemicals plant will take "two to three weeks" to fully reopen, the site manager has said.
On Friday, operators Ineos reversed a decision to close the petrochemical site after the union made significant concessions. Gordon Grant was speaking the day after operators Ineos reversed a decision to close the petrochemicals site.
Mr Grant said the company's biggest concern was ensuring the plant, which was shut down 12 days ago, was recommissioned safely.
On Friday, Ineos said the chemical plant would remain open.
The decision came after the Unite union made significant concessions.
Two days earlier Ineos had announced that the plant was to shut completely, with the loss of 800 jobs, after union members rejected the company's survival plan.
But that decision was reversed after the union agreed to Ineos's conditions, which included changes to pension arrangements, a three-year pay freeze and a promise not to strike for three years.
The petrochemical plant and the nearby refinery had been shut down for almost two weeks as the row escalated.The petrochemical plant and the nearby refinery had been shut down for almost two weeks as the row escalated.
The procedures for starting up production has begun. Mr Grant, the site manager for Ineos at Grangemouth, told the BBC it would take some time to get the site fully operational again.
Gordon Grant, the site manager for Ineos at Grangemouth, told BBC Scotland: "We are working through our processes and procedures to make sure we can get these plants back in operation. Our prime responsibility at the moment is to make sure we do that safely. "We would expect the full commissioning of the site to take two to three weeks, he said.
"These are very complicated, integrated plants and the highest risk for these plants is always during a start-up or a shutdown period. "It's a very integrated site, with stock and raw materials going into one plant, producing products which then feed into another plant. So the sequence has a chain where we move from one plant to another plant.
"There is no doubt that with the threat of industrial action or an all-out strike the safest place for these plants to be at that time was shutdown and I am very confident that was the right thing to do." "There's nothing coming out of the petrochemical plant. There are some fuels coming out of the refinery, but low volumes. We will start to see chemical products probably towards the end of next week, with full chemical production the week after.
Mr Grant says all the plants will be restarted, including the units which are due to be "retired" as part of the plan for the site. "That's similar to the refinery - we'll start to see products emerging and growing as we go through the week, with the full refinery being up and running in two to three weeks.
The start-up comes after a deal was struck to keep the petrochemical plant open. "Safety is the most important thing for us at the moment."
Ineos had announced on Wednesday that the chemical plant was to shut completely, with the loss of 800 jobs, after union members rejected the company's survival plan. Ineos founder and chairman Jim Ratcliffe said the union's acceptance of the company's proposal for new conditions was "a victory for common sense".
But the decision was reversed after the union agreed to Ineos's conditions. He confirmed Ineos would now press ahead with plans to invest £300m in a new gas terminal at the site.
Ineos founder and chairman Jim Ratcliffe said it was "a victory for common sense".
He confirmed Ineos would now press ahead with plans to invest £300m in a new gas terminal at the site, following a "significant change in attitude" from the Unite union.
The announcement on Grangemouth's future was greeted by huge cheers from the workforce, who had gathered at the plant to be told the news.The announcement on Grangemouth's future was greeted by huge cheers from the workforce, who had gathered at the plant to be told the news.
Mr Grant said he was confident that relations between Ineos, employees at the site and the union would recover.
"This is a new start for Grangemouth, a start that modernises Grangemouth, with new materials, new equipment and a project worth £300m," he said.
"And it's also a time for a new, modern way of communicating and consulting with our employees. And that's what we want to do going forward, we want to be talking to our employees about investment and about how we improve our operations and maintenance."
The main points of the Ineos announcement on Friday included:The main points of the Ineos announcement on Friday included: