Oil refinery to shut after no buyer found

An oil refinery in Lincolnshire is to shut after the government said it was unable to find a buyer for it. The Official Receiver took over the Lindsey Oil Refinery last month after its owner Prax went into administration, putting 420 jobs at risk. Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: “no credible offers have been made to purchase the entire refinery and it will be winding down operations.” Prax Group purchased the refinery from French company Total in 2021. In a statement, Shanks said: “We are deeply disappointed with the untenable position in which the owners left Prax Lindsey Oil Refinery. Our sympathies are with the workers, their families and the local community. While we continue to strongly encourage the owners to do the decent thing and publicly commit to making a voluntary financial contribution to support workers, all those directly employed at the refinery are guaranteed jobs over the coming months. The government will immediately fund a comprehensive Training Guarantee for these refinery workers to ensure they have the skills they need and are supported to find jobs in the growing clean energy workforce.”