大象传媒

Grangemouth is Scotland's only crude oil refinery. Workers past and present tell the story of the site's development. Grangemouth processes about 210,000 barrels of crude oil every day - distilling it to produce petrol, diesel and aviation fuel. The refinery plays an important part in the Scottish ecomony, fueling the nation's transport needs. The global oil industry began in Central Scotland in the 1850s. James Young developed a process for extracting oil from shale. When crude oil was discovered in Pennsylvania in 1859, Scotland's shale industry went into decline. The surviving Scottish oil companies combined to form Scottish Oils and in 1924 they helped set up the refinery in Grangemouth. The site was attractive due to the skilled work force available, the good transport links and the flat land available to build on. The previously agricultural area of Grangemouth became a boom town. The money brought in greatly improved housing and local facilities. When North Sea oil and gas were discovered in the 1960s and 1970s, the plant expanded and its future was cemented. Working conditions have changed at the refinery with the workforce becoming less male-dominated and more rigorous about health and safety.