Up to 150 new jobs could be created with the expansion of a fracked gas plant at Grangemouth.

Ineos intends to upgrade facilities in Scotland and Norway, both of which rely on shale gas controversially imported from the US.

The £1.8bn plan also includes a proposal for a new petrochemical facility in Europe.

Ineos chairman Jim Ratcliffe said: "These projects represent the first substantial investments in the European chemicals industry for many years.

"It has only been made possible because of Ineos' massive $2bn investment in our Dragon Ships programme which allows us to import ethane and liquefied petroleum gas from the US in huge quantities."

There is a moratorium on fracking on Scottish soil but it can be freely imported.

Ineos previously said it expected such imports would replace North Sea supplies.

The first shipment of shale gas from the US arrived in Scotland last September when the Ineos Insight sailed into the Firth of Forth with 27,500 cubic metres of ethane aboard.