EVENTUALLY, deliveries of shale gas will be made to Grangemouth once a week. Ineos have invested in a fleet of eight state-of-the-art ships that will constantly be on the move between the US and its sites in Scotland and Rafnes, Norway.
At Grangemouth, a new import terminal was constructed to handle the gas, alongside a new pipe network stretching more than three miles. It links up with a new, 40 metre high ethane storage tank, the largest of its kind in Europe. It has a 60,000 cubic metre capacity, and can handle 33,000 tonnes of liquid gas.
The pipeline also links up with the Grangemouth cracker, where the ethane is 'cracked', a process that allows large hydrocarbon molecules to be broken down into smaller, more useful hydrocarbon molecules.
Read more: Ineos chief reacts after SNP ministers snub landmark shale gas arrival
The product is then ready for delivery to Europe's petrochemical industry. Much will be used at the Grangemouth site, and is vital for items including plastics used in everyday food packaging.
Ineos has also signed deals to sell some of its imported shale gas to the Mossmorran plant in Fife, which is owned and operated by ExxonMobil while Shell has 50 percent capacity rights.
Read more: Ineos chief reacts after SNP ministers snub landmark shale gas arrival
In addition, a pipeline will carry ethane from Grangemouth to Ineos's plant in Hull where it recently announced a multi-million pound investment to take advantage of shale gas economics.
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