ExxonMobil announces €160 million upgrade at UK ethylene plant 

ExxonMobil is to make a £140 million (US $173 million) investment in upgrading key infrastructure at its ethylene production plant in Mossmorran, Fife, in eastern Scotland.
 
The project, to run through 2019 and 2020, will introduce new technologies at the site, to significantly improve operational reliability and performance, ExxonMobil said in a statement Sept. 17.
 
The investment, according to the chemicals company, will improve plant reliability and reduce the frequency of flaring, which has seemingly been an issue at the site.
 
The plant was reportedly shut down for a month in mid-August for “remedial maintenance” as a result of an unplanned flaring, Scotland’s The Courier reported.
 
A portion of the £159 million (US $196 million) investment, according to ExxonMobil, will go toward implementing technologies that reduce the impact of flaring, including a state-of-the-art flare tip, which will reduce noise and vibration.
 
“These planned investments demonstrate our commitment to long-term reliable operations at the site,” said Jacob McAlister, plant manager at the Fife ethylene plant.
 
“We are always looking for ways to improve reliability and efficiency through continued maintenance and investment in new technologies,” he asserted, adding that Fife had “a long-term future as a competitive asset.”
 
The project will support 850 local construction jobs and use the services of 40 local suppliers.
 
In operation since 1986, the Fife plant uses natural gas liquids (NGLs) from the North Sea as feedstock to produce 830 kilotonnes of ethylene per annum.
 
This is the latest in a series of investment by ExxonMobil in the United Kingdom.
 
In April, the company unveiled plans to proceed with a €905 million (US $992 million) expansion plan at the Fawley refinery and petrochemical plant near Southampton.
 
ExxonMobil is also doubling production capacity for advanced elastomers at its Newport, Wales plant in a €65 million (US $71 million) investment.