Fresh questions have been raised over a £600 million UK Government loan guarantee awarded to support a petrochemical project in Belgium while jobs were being lost at Grangemouth.
The issue has become a talking point in the Aberdeen South by election campaign after it emerged that the support was approved during Kemi Badenoch’s time as Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
Critics argue that the decision highlights a contrast between support for overseas energy infrastructure and the challenges facing Scotland’s own energy sector.
The closure of the Grangemouth refinery has resulted in the loss of hundreds of jobs and sparked ongoing debate about the future of Scotland’s energy industry, energy security and industrial strategy.
The latest criticism centres on a £600 million loan guarantee provided to chemicals giant INEOS to support the construction of a petrochemical facility in Antwerp.
Questions are now being asked about whether more could have been done to support jobs and investment at Grangemouth.
Aberdeen South candidate Richard Thomson said:
“Kemi Badenoch has some explaining to do, why did she prioritise jobs in Belgium over Scotland?
“Rather than blasting £600m on Belgium, Badenoch could have invested in Grangemouth and made a real difference to energy workers across the country, the Tories have some explaining to do.
“The Tories have absolutely zero credibility on saving North Sea jobs when their tax on Scotland’s energy, their Brexit disaster, and their investment in foreign industry which is costing thousands upon thousands of jobs in Scotland’s energy sector.
“£400bn has already been syphoned off from the North Sea, with precious little of that coming back to the North East.
“Nigel Farage, Labour, and the Tories want to continue to treat our industry as a cash cow with nothing sent back in return to help secure our energy and economic future, it is Scotland’s energy and it should be in Scotland’s hands.
“Only the SNP is on the side of Scotland’s energy sector and the people who work in it.
“Scotland has the energy, but Westminster has the power.
“A vote for the SNP is a vote it to put Scotland’s energy in Scotland’s hands, which is where it should be.”
The future of North Sea oil and gas, energy investment and industrial jobs remain major issues across the north east of Scotland, where thousands of livelihoods continue to depend on the sector.
Energy policy is expected to remain a key battleground during the Aberdeen South campaign as parties set out competing visions for the future of Scotland’s energy industry.
