ExxonMobil's Mossmorran plastics plant closes weeks early with 400 jobs lost

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ExxonMobil has closed one of Europe’s largest and most modern ethylene plants in Scotland weeks early
The global energy giant said the plant was no longer economically viable and they were unable to sell it
More than 400 jobs are at risk the Fife Ethylene Plant in Cowdenbeath which has operated for 40 years
Unite the union said it was told late on Monday night that ExxonMobil had shut down at the site
A task force aimed at supporting workers at risk of redundancy met for the first time last week

ExxonMobil has closed its Mossmorran plastics plant in Scotland two weeks early with the loss of 400 jobs.

The Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP), one of Europe’s largest and most modern ethylene plants which has operated for 40 years, was due to shut on February 16.

The global energy giant said the plant was no longer economically viable and they were unable to sell it, forcing the decision to shutter the facility in another blow to Scottish industry.

There are around 180 ExxonMobil staff, 200 contractors, and around 50 other workers at Mossmorran affected.

Following the announcement in November, the Government announced it would form the task force – which is to be led by Fife Council – with £9m pledged in this month’s draft Budget over the next three years to support workers.

ExxonMobil's Mossmorran plant in Fife. — ExxonMobil’s Mossmorran plant in Fife. Getty Images

The task force met for the first time last Wednesday.

Unite the union said it was told late on Monday night that ExxonMobil had shut down at the site.

“ExxonMobil’s decision to close Mossmorran ahead of schedule is a disgrace and a betrayal of its workers,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.

“This is an enormously profitable multi-billion pound company and this unnecessary decision will have a devastating impact on the local community in Fife.”

What is Mossmorran?

The complex consists of two neighbouring plants: the Fife Natural Gas Liquids (Fife NGL) plant operated by Shell UK, and the Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP) operated by ExxonMobil Chemical Limited.

The Shell plant receives natural gas liquids from the S. Fergus gas terminal in Aberdeen, which is separated into propane, ethane, butane and natural gasoline.

The ethane is sent to the adjoining ExxonMobil plant and the other products are sent off-site to the adjacent Avanti Gas Terminal and to Braefoot Bay Marine Terminal for export.

The gas plant has previously come under fire for unplanned flaring, which has caused significant disruption to the local community.

Operators say it is occasionally necessary to operate the plant safely, with the burning flare acting like a safety valve when the plant is not in normal processing.

In October, the ExxonMobil plant at Mossmorran was fined after a noise that sounded like a “jet engine” blared for six days, prompting 900 complaints from residents.

The closure of the plant, however, comes less than a year after oil refining operations at Grangemouth in Falkirk ended.

Petroineos, which ran the refinery, notified staff by email in April that all oil refining work had ended and that the first group of redundant workers were leaving plant – with 200 to depart by the end of June.

Grangemouth operators stated that they could no longer compete with larger, newer refineries worldwide and that the cost of maintaining the ageing refinery was too steep.