ExxonMobil Restarts Fife Ethylene Plant in Scotland

ExxonMobil Chemical has announced the restart of its Fife ethylene plant at Mossmorran, Scotland.

The ethylene plant has been closed for maintenance since August when two out of the three boilers failed.

The plant is one of Europe’s largest petrochemical cracker facilities with an ethylene production capacity of 830,000 metric tones per year.

“In re-starting equipment after an extended period, we took the time required to diligently test and re-test processes and safety procedures,” the company said in its community announcement.

“While I am sure we would all have liked to have returned to production more quickly, we will never compromise the safety of our staff or the public,” ExxonMobil said.

“We also took a series of actions to significantly reduce the rate of the required elevated flaring, consistent with our commitment to the needs of local communities,” it added.

ExxonMobil is currently investing £140 million ($179 million) in its Fife facility. The work, which includes fitting noise-reducing flare tips, will create 850 temporary jobs over the next 12 months.