ExxonMobil is to invest an extra £140 million over the next two years to prevent flaring and improve reliability at its Fife ethylene plant .
The facility at Mossmorran had faced complaints from people living nearby that they were disturbed by the problem at night. The plant is currently closed for boiler maintenance.
The chemical giant says plans to invest in infrastructure and technology, part of which will aim to reduce flaring, including a state-of-the-art flare tip to reduce noise and vibration.
ExxonMobil is already recruiting for the project which will support around 850 construction jobs and benefit 40 local suppliers.
Plant manager Jacob McAlister said: “These planned investments demonstrate our commitment to long-term reliable operations at the site.
“While already one of the most modern plants of its kind in Europe, we are always looking for ways to improve reliability and efficiency through continued maintenance and investment in new technologies. Fife has a long-term future as a competitive asset, contributing to both the local and national economies."
To make ethylene, ethane from the North Sea is heated to almost 900C to 'crack' it into gas which is then cooled to below -150C. Around half is then taken to users via the UK ethylene pipe network and the other half shipped from the Forth to Antwerp.
Mossmorran, which is operated jointly by ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell, opened in 1981 and has a production capacity of over 800,000 tonnes of ethylene a year. It employs over 270 employees and core contractors, 60% living locally.
