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The Ministry of Defence has apologised after it accidentally leaked secret documents to The Ferret revealing it was considering Grangemouth and other sites across the UK for new arms factories.
Twelve potential locations for making explosives were mistakenly identified in emails released to us under freedom of information (FoI) law. Blacked out text which was meant to remain hidden could be uncovered simply by copying and pasting it into another document.
Sites under consideration include parts of the Grangemouth industrial complex, the Finnart oil terminal on Loch Long, and locations in Cumbria, Teesside, Northumberland, Southampton and Wales.
The correspondence also outlined an internal plan to boost UK production of explosives used in guns and artillery through a programme confidentially codenamed ‘Project NOBEL’ – presumably a reference to dynamite inventor, Alfred Nobel.
Emails show weapons companies from around the world took part in early-stage discussions about locating factories in the UK. Other firms may be looking to expand existing operations.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has come under fire for the "embarrassing" blunder. The Scottish Government said it was “not aware” of any plans for Grangemouth and was “engaging urgently” with the MoD to find out more.
The ministry has apologised to the companies and individuals whose names were released. Following inquiries by The Ferret, it conducted an internal investigation and said it had put “new processes” in place to prevent similar failures in data-security.
The MoD made the same mistake back in 2011, when it failed to properly redact a report about nuclear submarine safety. Other government departments have also made similar errors.
The MoD stressed that no investment decisions have been made at any of the named sites. The government announced in June that it would spend £1.5bn to build “at least six new munitions and energetics factories” as part of its strategic defence review.
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In an email on 23 April 2025, an MoD official stated the department was “embarking on a large-scale activity” to expand manufacturing of explosives in the UK, including materials such as TNT, RDX and nitrocellulose – all key ingredients in modern weaponry.
Feasibility studies were underway under the banner of ‘Project NOBEL’, involving a “range of companies”, an official wrote.
Some of the companies involved in the studies already operate explosives sites in Britain “which could be expanded into nearby areas” while others were “new to operating in the UK”, the email adds.
Two firms – Singapore’s ST Engineering and Australia’s NIOA – were noted to be “looking at old chemical factories which could be repurposed for explosives”. “NIOA are interested in nitrocellulose and ST Engineering are interested in TNT,” the same official said in an earlier note on 16 April.
ST Engineering has since told The Ferret it was not interested in “explosives manufacturing or TNT” and instead had been involved in a feasibility study on a “narrowly defined technical matter”.
‘Ready workforce’
The emails released to The Ferret suggest work to identify sites for the factories started in February 2025, months before the government announced plans to increase munitions production in June.
Grangemouth was mentioned as a potential location when the UK Department of Business and Trade shared a list of sites which might meet basic requirements for making explosives – including a required safety zone around factories to protect nearby communities.
It was flagged again in March among a list of brownfield chemical sites that could be suitable, compiled by the UK Government’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a request by the MoD.
HSE identified four parts of the Grangemouth complex as possible locations – including chemical plants where there is “a lot of empty space”.
“As colleagues have identified parts of Grangemouth will still be operating as a petrochemical facility but it might lend itself to some of the other raw material manufacture necessary,” HSE wrote.
The Finnart oil terminal on Loch Long – itself linked to Grangemouth via pipelines – was also included as a “potential site”. Finnart is just a few miles from the MoD’s Glen Douglas arms store, one of the biggest weapons depots in western Europe.
The 23 April email – sent to development body Scottish Enterprise – shows the MoD examining Grangemouth more closely. Officials asked for a “virtual meeting about options within Grangemouth” and suggested a site visit could follow.
One email noted the site was attractive because of its “ready workforce”. The iconic refinery in the town closed in April at the cost of 400 jobs.
By June, however, Grangemouth was no longer being explored by one of the firms involved. The UK Office for Investment told the MoD that NIOA “aren’t looking at any sites in Grangemouth as they were smaller”, noting instead that the company had visited Ardeer in Ayrshire on 19 June.
But the MoD wanted to limit interest in Ardeer, citing “considerations” for a separate proposal by another weapons firm, Chemring, which required “additional land”.
The documents do not spell out what Chemring is planning there. The company, which already manufactures explosives and propellants at Ardeer in Stevenston, declined to comment.
Another arms firm, CzechoSlovak Group (CSG), is mentioned in connection with a different location, Broughton Moor in Cumbria. Officials suggested the site “would be ideal for someone like CSG” if the company was prepared to divide operations across more than one location.
CSG told The Ferret that it was “generally interested” in the UK market, but it declined to disclose its specific plans.
The released documents do not show any correspondence later than 20 June, as this was the date of our FoI request. The MoD did not respond until 7 November.
‘Embarrassing error’
The Ferret’s revelations surprised the Scottish Government. “We are not aware of these plans and Scottish Government officials are engaging urgently with the Ministry of Defence to understand further detail of what is being proposed,” said a spokesperson.
They have also sparked criticism from opponents of the arms trade and politicians, who raised concerns about both transparency and safety.
Michael Matheson, the former Scottish energy minister and MSP for Falkirk West – near Grangemouth – called for “full transparency” from the MoD about the potential for explosives manufacturing there.
He argued the plans could “negatively impact” other proposals set out for Grangemouth, such as the manufacture of sustainable aviation fuel, which could undermine “the delivery of a just transition for the area”.
He said: “While it is important to secure investment in the Grangemouth area, I would be concerned about the potential siting of munitions manufacturing next to a petrochemical facility”.
Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Green MSP and former leader of the party, said the accidental disclosure was an "embarrassing error" by the MoD and questioned why there was always “money for new weapons, at the same time as frontline services are under immense pressure”.
He alleged that workers at Grangemouth had been “failed by Labour” and “abandoned at a significant cost to the community”.
“Few will think that the solution is to build an explosives factory on top of the site, particularly when parts of it are still being used as a petrochemicals site,” Harvie added.
Lynn Jamieson, chair of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (SCND), criticised the plans, particularly in light of the UK’s support for an international declaration aimed at reducing civilian harm from explosive weapons.
“Now they want us to make money by manufacturing explosives for armed conflict,” she noted, pointing out that children make up “a significant proportion of civilian casualties”.
Jamieson added: “Support for SCND suggests that many people in Scotland will say invest in welfare not warfare.”
The MoD said it was investing £6bn in munitions during this parliament, including the six new factories which, it claimed, would generate more than 1,000 skilled jobs.
The ministry confirmed that the emails revealed sites under consideration for new arms factories in the UK. But no investment decisions had been made, it said.
It added: “The MoD apologises to the individuals and companies named in the documents, which were not intended to be publicly disclosed. We take data security extremely seriously and are committed to ensuring that any incidents are dealt with properly, and that we follow our legal duties.”
“These were early-stage discussions, not final policy decisions,” an MoD spokesperson told The Ferret. “An internal investigation has been conducted, and new processes have been put in place to ensure it does not happen again.”
The chief executive of NIOA Group, Robert Nioa, said: “NIOA UK intends to be a responsive and reliable partner to the MoD to support the critical defence and security objectives outlined in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review.”
He added that the company had found the MoD to be a “professional organisation” which was “moving at speed” to protect UK security.
The CSG group is involved in making shotgun cartridges in the UK. “We are generally interested in the UK market as well – both commercially and in terms of production – but we will not disclose our plans or comment on speculation,” said a spokesperson for the company.
The Ferret has published details of the correspondence in line with our commitments to transparency and making our sources available where possible. However, we have redacted all personal information of officials accidentally named. You can find all of the documents here.
This story was co-published with The Guardian. Co-publication helps The Ferret bring in additional money to support our reporting and makes sure it reaches the widest possible audience.
Paul is an investigative journalist with a focus on the environment, energy and climate change. His work has been featured by Channel 4 News and the UK’s leading newspapers. When not Ferreting he can be found walking and listening to podcasts.
Rob has more than 40 years’ experience specialising in reporting on environmental issues. He has co-authored three books about nuclear power, produced radio and television programmes. He likes muckraking.
Rob Edwards
Karin Goodwin
