The death knell for UK energy security

The end of Grangemouth and Lindsey oil refineries marks a worrying trend across Europe amid cost and transition pressures

The closure of the 150,000b/d Grangemouth refinery and the insolvency of the owner of 110,000b/d Lindsey refinery highlight the growing threat to the UK’s energy security posed by increased dependence on refined product imports. The UK boasted 18 operational refineries around 1970, but only four will remain after the shutdown of Grangemouth and Lindsey. This marks a sharp decline that underlines the fragility of domestic refining capacity and the country’s increasing exposure to global supply shocks. Grangemouth, built by Scottish Oils in 1924 before being bought by BP, stopped crude processing operations at the end of April. In 2023, current owner Petroineos—a joint venture between UK chemi