A sustainable fuel plant will be built at Grangemouth, creating 200 jobs in an area hit by the closure of the oil refinery earlier this year.
In the first significant success for Project Willow, the initiative set up to regenerate the site, Syntech Biofuel will build a sister plant to its facility in Kent which is being expanded.
Syntech Biofuel, one of the UK’s leading producers of low-carbon fuels, supplies biofuel to sectors such as construction, logistics, and transport. It intends to double its current production of one million litres of biofuel per month.
The company is investing £130 million in the two projects which were first reported last week in the Kent area where Medway Council has approved a development on the Hoo Peninsula.
It will see the creation of a production building and supporting infrastructure to transform waste cooking oil into advanced smart biofuel – a sustainable alternative to traditional diesel. The Grangemouth site is expected to be operational in 2027.
No public money is being provided to the company despite support being available from the UK and Scottish governments. Sustainable fuel was among the recommended new industries proposed by the Project Willow team.
Tom Bingham, CEO of Syntech Biofuel, said the investment represented a major milestone for the company. “It’s the most sustainable fuel made in the UK today, as a drop-in replacement to diesel,” he said.
“We work predominantly for the construction sector to decarbonise that industry. We are looking at building out this site [Kent] to help facilitate the fuel for the Lower Thames Crossing for the major contractors on that project.”
Mr Bingham added: “We’re constantly looking for new alternatives, new improvements to the technology and so we’ve invested very heavily in the science and R&D of what we do.
“It’s been all part of the process to date, but the new facility will have a dedicated R&D and science team looking at all of those new innovations.”
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