Grangemouth Future Industry Board minutes: May 2021

Attendees and apologies

Attendees:

• Scottish Government
• Pale Blue Dot
• Scottish Enterprise
• Falkirk Council
• Forth Valley College
• Scottish Development International
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency
• Scottish Futures Trust
• Skills Development Scotland
• Transport Scotland

Items and actions

Purpose

The meeting covered two substantive items:

• workstream updates from Grangemouth Regulatory Hub and Project Development (specifically on the Hydrogen Study results)
• infrastructure requirements at Grangemouth under 3 core areas: 

(i) Conventional Infrastructure;
(ii) Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme; and 
(iii) Infrastructure requirements for decarbonisation / net zero

Key Board decisions/points raised at GFIB meeting 4

Secretariat will progress the strategic indicators and bring back the final product to the board when ready.

Board members have provided a few suggested agenda items for future meetings, to contact secretariat with any further agenda topic suggestions.

Secretariat will continue to develop the mapping exercise on policy interdependencies to identify the list of influencing opportunities for Grangemouth.

The initial focus of the Grangemouth Regulatory Hub workstream is looking at the requirements and issues – short, medium and long term, that we need to understand and address. Secretariat to discuss with Grangemouth Regulatory Hub Workstream Leads around the creation of a project team to focus on regulatory requirements and issues.

The Grangemouth Regulatory Hub workstream should be brought back to the board for a substantive regulatory session on aspirations and what needs done to progress this workstream.

Hydrogen will be a crucial part of decarbonisation and with Grangemouth being a high emitter it has the capacity not only to decarbonise industries themselves but to unlock potential across Scotland. Anticipate final version of the report being available shortly with an anonymous summary for the public sector being published. This will be shared with board members. 

A range of next steps were identified across the three areas (infrastructure, demand and supply) as well as policy. The Project Development workstream are to create a subgroup of GFIB to discuss the results of the Hydrogen Study and next steps and help priorities some projects GFIB would want to deliver in future.

Infrastructure Working Group to work with Falkirk Council and Transport Scotland to build an evidence base for Grangemouth in STPR2 and to return to the board for a substantive discussion.

SEPA’s prioritisation exercise identified the Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme as the number 1 priority flood protection scheme. SG/Local Authority have a 80/20% funding split agreed between Ministers and COSLA to all eligible funding schemes. The Infrastructure Working Group to work with Secretariat on the GFPS submission to Ministers and feedback progress/outcomes to the board.

Actions summary

• Secretariat to continue to progress strategic indicators and present final product to board when ready - date for completion: 29/07/2021
• Board members to contact secretariat with future agenda topic suggestions - date for completion: 29/07/2021
• Secretariat to continue to develop a map of opportunities and milestones that GFIB can influence - date for completion: 29/07/2021
• Secretariat to discuss with Grangemouth Regulatory Hub Workstream Leads around the creation of a project team dedicated to focus on regulatory requirements and issues - date for completion: 29/07/2021
• Grangemouth Regulatory Hub and SEPA vision to be brought back to GFIB as a substantive agenda item - date for completion: 29/07/2021
• Hydrogen Study Report and summary of results to be shared with board members - date for completion: 29/07/2021
• Project Development workstream to create a subgroup of GFIB to discuss the Hydrogen Study Results and next steps and ensure interested policy areas have had a chance to review study outputs - date for completion: 29/07/2021
• Infrastructure Working Group to work with Falkirk Council and Transport Scotland to build an evidence base for Grangemouth in STPR2 and to return to the board for a substantive discussion - date for completion: 29/07/2021
• Infrastructure Working Group to work with Secretariat on the GFPS submission to Ministers and feedback progress/outcomes to the board - date for completion: 29/07/2021