Ministers approve BP's Grangemouth power plant plans
- Published
BP's Kinneil terminal processes North Sea crude oil
Oil giant BP has been given the green light by Scottish ministers to build a new gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant at Kinneil oil terminal in Grangemouth.
The terminal processes crude oil sent from North Sea platforms via the Forties Pipeline System (FPS).
Kinneil requires steam for heat energy to drive oil separation processes.
The Scottish government said the site was a "strategic piece of oil and gas industry infrastructure".
It is based next to the Grangemouth petrochemical complex.
The output of the plant is expected to be 159 MWe (megawatts electric) and up to 400 temporary jobs could be created during construction.
Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: "This proposed development will provide welcome long-term security of service to developers of new oil and gas fields, at an otherwise challenging time for the wider oil and gas industry.
"There is consensus across stakeholders that we must retain critical infrastructure to ensure the long-term viability of the North Sea oil and gas industry.
"There is a long term sustainable future for the North Sea - which will be supported by investments such as these at BP Kinneil Terminal - and we are committed to using every lever at our disposal to support the industry through this challenging time."