Push made to sell Mossmorran site but no ‘viable offer’ received, say bosses

Efforts have been made to sell the Mossmorran plant which is due to close early next year but a “viable offer” has not been received, bosses have said.

The Fife Ethylene Plant will close in February, putting more than 400 jobs at risk in the area, with owners ExxonMobil claiming it is not economically viable due to, in part, UK Government policy.

Appearing before the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster on Wednesday, the chair of ExxonMobil UK, Paul Greenwood, said there had been both “formal and informal” discussions about a potential sale of the site.

“We did not find anybody who is able to offer us a viable offer of taking it over,” he told MPs.

“Clearly, we would obviously sell the plant if we could, it’s clearly a much better option for everybody involved – including us – than shutting the plant down.

“We worked extremely hard.”

In the discussions the firm had with potential buyers, Mr Greenwood said, none saw the potential of continuing operations as an ethylene plant, which creates a key component in plastics.

“Nobody sees that as being economically viable,” he said.

“Therefore, we will shut this plant and we will do that in February.

“You then have a period, which could be up to about two years, to effectively demolish the site and return the land back to a kind of greenfield basis during all of that period.

“If there’s anybody who wishes to come and talk to us… around potential use of that site, potential ways in which they can take over ownership of that and do something, then we’re open to all of that.”

He added: “Clearly, we – along with everybody else – would like to see this site continue, would like to see it be valuable, would like to see it provide economic value to the community.”

Around 180 ExxonMobil staff face redundancy as a result of the decision, with 250 contractors also at risk.

Of the firm’s own staff, about 110 people will face redundancy next spring, with the remainder continuing their employment to work on what is expected to be the demolition of the current site.

Mr Greenwood appeared after Bob MacGregor, the industrial officer for the Unite trade union, who questioned the contentions of the company that it was not economically viable.

Mr MacGregor pointed to a £120 million UK Government investment announced on Wednesday for an ethylene plant in Grangemouth as proof of viability.

He pushed for the closure of the plant to be paused to allow for a buyer to be found.

The union official also criticised both Governments, claiming they have not supported workers on the site enough.

The Scottish Government, he said, has attempted to organise events as part of its partnership action for continuing employment (Pace) scheme, which aims to help those facing redundancy.

“Other than that, I don’t see any support that’s been offered by either Government,” he said.

“I can see a lot of kind words and sound bites, but I don’t see any real, tangible evidence of any practical support, financial support.”

Governments should be stepping in to offer re-training to workers in the hopes of securing work elsewhere, he said.