Scotland has stopped refining oil for the first time in over a century.
Grangemouth, once the beating heart of Scottish energy, has gone silent.
Four hundred direct jobs are gone and thousands more in the supply chain now face uncertainty.
The SNP has branded the shutdown a damning indictment of the UK Government’s failure to support Scottish industry.
Grangemouth’s refinery, which has stood for generations, will no longer process oil.
From now on, every drop of refined fuel used in Scotland must be imported.
This comes despite Westminster finding funds to save English and even overseas sites.
The UK Government intervened to save British Steel in Scunthorpe.
It has committed £22 billion to carbon capture in England’s former industrial heartlands.
A £600 million loan guarantee has even been offered to a plastic plant in Belgium.
But not a penny has been pledged to keep Grangemouth going.
Michelle Thomson MSP called the closure a tragedy for the local community and the nation.
She expressed solidarity with the workers who now face an uncertain future.
She also criticised the UK Government for ignoring repeated calls to support the site.
She argued this marks yet another Scottish industry left to collapse under UK control.
Grangemouth’s closure has sparked broader questions about who decides Scotland’s economic future.
Thomson pointed out that most energy and industrial powers are held in Westminster, not Holyrood.
She said those powers are being wielded in a way that marginalises Scotland.
She added that Westminster has consistently shown more interest in saving English sites.
She argued that Scottish workers and industry are treated as expendable.
John Swinney echoed these concerns earlier this week at the Scottish Trades Union Congress.
He said Scottish workers must not be left behind in the transition to a green economy.
But with Grangemouth shut down and no UK-backed plan in place, many believe Scotland is being left out entirely.
This loss is not just about jobs – it’s about control over the country’s industrial backbone.
As Scotland prepares for a future without refining capacity, questions remain about how energy security will be maintained.
The end of oil refining in Scotland is not just a historical footnote.
It is a turning point that exposes deep cracks in the UK’s approach to regional industrial support.
And it may well fuel further calls for Scotland to take back the powers needed to shape its own future.
