Energy, industry and society: security and justice in Grangemouth, Scotland, from the 1950s to the 2020s

Shibe, Riyoko (2026) Energy, industry and society: security and justice in Grangemouth, Scotland, from the 1950s to the 2020s. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

In 1951, Western Europe’s first petrochemical plants were opened by BP Chemicals in the small Scottish town of Grangemouth. This thesis explores Grangemouth’s transformation through petrochemicals from the 1950s to the 2020s. Rapid expansion from 1950 to 1970 saw development of a moral economy of fair, just work. From 1970, Grangemouth experienced jobless growth: enhanced investment into capital-intensive infrastructure, coupled with reduction of the workforce. This thesis examines this phenomenon as ‘noxious deindustrialisation’, which had roots in the noxious industrialisation of earlier growth years.
Part 1 establishes structural dimensions of petrochemicals in Grangemouth, utilising material sourced from national and local government, company and trade union archives. Chronological coverage is from the 1950s to the 1990s. It consists of two chapters. Chapter 1 analyses how BP Chemicals navigated changing oil markets and the consequences of this for Grangemouth. Chapter 2 examines government policies that sought growth of petrochemicals through growth of the township. Noxious deindustrialisation was triggered by liberal market forces advanced by the Conservative government, privatisation of BP, and two oil shocks. North Sea oil accelerated this by bringing increased petrochemical investment into Grangemouth which failed to reverse shrinking job numbers.
Part 2 examines experiential dimensions of noxiousness through over twenty oral history interviews with workers and residents of Grangemouth. It is guided by the chronological periodisation established in Part 1 and consists of two chapters. Chapter 3 examines how hopes and aspirations for petrochemicals, a highly modern sector in the 1950s and 1960s, were historically grounded in older industries. Chapter 4 examines how experiences of work were shaped by changing employment patterns triggered by noxious deindustrialisation.
The thesis ends with a shorter Part 3, which analyses changes since 2001, when a massive job cut of 1,000 workers at the petrochemical complex and refinery was announced. Four years later, BP sold the site to INEOS. Part 3’s single chapter examines the continuities and differences in the new petrochemical regime under INEOS and positions the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery in April 2025 as another important point in the long, protracted process of noxious deindustrialisation. Rather than bringing an end to the industry, the closure has entrenched hydrocarbon links through its conversion into a fuel import terminal.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Supported by by an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctoral Studentship (1+3) from the Scottish Graduate School of Social Sciences.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Political & International Studies > Economic & Social History
• Funder's Name: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Supervisor's Name: Phillips, Professor Jim and Gibbs, Dr. Ewan
• Date of Award: 2026
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2026-86160
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 05 Aug 2026 10:55
• Last Modified: 05 Aug 2026 13:17
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.86160
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/86160