The first shipment of US shale to Scotland has been branded an “unacceptable” way to prop up the Grangemouth plant in Falkirk by Ineos, according to Friends of the Earth.
The environmental group made the comments yesterday after more than 27,000m3 of ethane made its way to the facility for the first time.
Head of campaigns, Mary Church, also hit out at the chemical giant’s collaboration with Range Resources after it was fined for environmental pollution in the US.
She said: “To pursue a future for the INEOS plant based on the consumption of ever more fossil fuels is utterly irresponsible in the context of what we know about the devastating impacts of climate change. If Jim Ratcliffe was really concerned about the future of the Grangemouth plant and its workers he would be planning for its transition to a low carbon model.”
“We urge the Scottish Government to act swiftly to ban fracking and start planning seriously for a fair transition to a low carbon economy across all sectors. Fracking should not happen here in Scotland, and our country should not profit from it happening anywhere else.”
The comments come just a day after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn revealed his party would ban fracking if elected.
The Scottish Government is currently carrying out a moratorium on fracking with the results expected next year.
Following the first delivery of shale gas, the Scottish Conservatives said the SNP should abandon its “infantile” objection to shale gas extraction.
Shadown finance secretary Murdo Fraser said: “The arrival of the first shale shipment is extremely welcome news for Scotland’s economy.
“It guarantees jobs at a major employer, and helps showcase to the world that Scotland can become a centre for shale refinery.
“However, all this potential will be wasted if the SNP continues its infantile objection to fracking.
“There is a startlingly blatant hypocrisy in the Scottish Government welcoming the arrival of shale, yet ruling Scotland out of ever generating its own.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said it would continue to support Grangemouth and said the results of its moratorium on fracking could be expected next year.