COP26: Grangemouth refinery announces new deal at event attended by First Minister

The leader of Falkirk council has welcomed a new partnership announced by Scotland’s first sustainable chemical plant.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Celtic Renewables’ groundbreaking bio-refinery, which is about to launch in Grangemouth, uses low carbon technology to transform the waste from the whisky industry into valuable chemicals that would traditionally be made from fossil fuels.

This week – at a COP26 event attended by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – the pioneering firm announced a partnership with Caldic, which will distribute the green technology to its customers.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mark Simmers, chief executive officer of Celtic Renewables said: “This strategic partnership with Caldic not only secures the viability of our Grangemouth plant and the 35 people who work there, but also allows us to fast track our global expansion programme.”

Celtic Renewables sign deal with Caldic at the Grangemouth Bio Refinery.Celtic Renewables sign deal with Caldic at the Grangemouth Bio Refinery.
Celtic Renewables sign deal with Caldic at the Grangemouth Bio Refinery.
Read More
Falkirk fly-tipping: 91% rise in complaints as council battles staff shortages

Roger Collis, Business Development Director, said: “We are excited to be bringing to the market these unique bio-solvents which offer an environmentally friendlier solution that will be of interest to manufacturers of Personal Care and Homecare products, as well as those involved in the production of biofuels.”

The company says that its new Grangemouth plant will be a major step forward in the UK’s journey to Net Zero which has been very much in focus this week at COP26.

And it says that using whisky waste is just the first stage in applying the new technology, which converts unwanted and low-value biological material into high-value renewable chemicals.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The high-tech firm is one of the cutting edge industries that politicians hope will create job opportunities for firms, particularly in Grangemouth, as part of a ‘just transition’ away from fossil fuels.

Cecil Meiklejohn, the leader of Falkirk Council, said: “I would like to congratulate the team at Celtic Renewables on the successful opening of the UKs first biorefinery.

“We have started the transition to Net Zero with big businesses committing to cutting emissions and with innovators like Celtic Renewables investing in the area, we can be assured that Grangemouth will in future be the home of green technologies and highly skilled jobs.

Celtic Renewables successfully raised £3.68 million via Crowdcube in 2020.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The business has now launched a new crowd funding campaign to raise new funds to build further biorefineries throughout the world.

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.