The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has identified at least 13 disused oil refineries and chemical plants as potential locations for new munitions factories, as part of a £6 billion programme to boost ammunition supplies. The sites include Grangemouth, Southampton, Teesside, and others, as revealed in emails obtained by the Ferret website.
The MoD, along with the Department of Business and Trade and the Health and Safety Executive, believes that at least four sites at Grangemouth—where the UK's oldest oil refinery closed earlier this year—could be suitable. Other locations include the former BritishVolt battery plant near Newcastle, Milford Haven oil refinery in Wales, Workington and Ulverston in Cumbria, several sites on Teesside such as Seal Sands, and an oil terminal on Loch Long in Scotland near the MoD's underground bomb store at Glen Douglas.
The sites were inadvertently disclosed when MoD officials failed to properly redact a Freedom of Information response, allowing blacked-out sections to be read. The MoD apologised, admitting a breach of confidentiality. It stated that no final decisions have been made, but confirmed a £1.5 billion investment to build 'always on' munitions factories, creating around 1,000 jobs.
Under Project Nobel, named after dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel, the MoD has been in talks with three foreign arms companies to build plants producing TNT, RDX, and nitrocellulose. Former chemical and refinery sites are prioritised due to existing safety clearances and access to road, rail, and port infrastructure.
The Scottish government said it was not aware of the plans and is engaging urgently with the MoD for further details. The investments have caused tensions between the UK and Scottish governments, particularly regarding arms supplies to Israel and the broader Nato rearmament push.
