Mossmorran flaring: Equipment to be fitted to reduce noise in Fife

A new flare tip is to be fitted at a controversial Fife chemical plant in a bid to reduce noise for residents in the area during elevated flaring.

The installation work will begin on Monday and is part of a £140m upgrade of the Mossmorran site, owned by ExxonMobil.

ExxonMobil said it would also reduce the frequency of flaring in the future.

Residents have complained of light pollution and noise often disrupting their sleep during flaring events.

Martin Burrell, the new Exxonmobil plant manager, said: "We are currently estimating that we will exit our elevated flare by the end of 12 April - with the size of the flare decreasing relatively quickly during its use.

"After this, we will use the ground flares for around two days with volumes also continuing to decrease during that time."

Once the site has been temporarily shut down the work to install the flare tip will begin.

The installation work will take about 60 days before the plant is powered back up.

Residents will be notified before the plant is powered back up again as it requires elevated flaring, which causes noise.

Terry A'Hearn, CEO of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), said noise and air quality monitoring would be carried out during the works.

He said: "The work ExxonMobil Chemical Limited is beginning next week marks an important milestone on the site's pathway to compliance.

"We have been clear that flaring, while an important safety feature of industrial facilities, will become the 'exception rather than routine' and new infrastructure will help address the issues that cause most disturbance to local people.

"The £140m upgrade of the ExxonMobil Chemical Limited Fife Ethylene Plant, together with Sepa's ongoing stringent regulatory requirements and permit variations, will significantly improve the reliability of the Fife Ethylene Plant, reducing the requirement for flaring and significantly reducing the community impact of flaring when it does occur."