Mossmorran set to end unscheduled flaring

Fife Ethelyne Plant has said it is now in the final stages of a return to normal working – six days after the unscheduled flaring sent black smoke belching across the Fife skies.

It could seen across the Forth and down the east coast, and the noise of the flare sparked over 600 complaints to SEPA’s hotline – the highest total for a single incident.

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In its latest update, ExxonMobil said engineers continued to “work day and night” and added: “Our team is now moving towards the final stages of returning the plant safely back to normal operation.

“Pending any unexpected issues, it is anticipated that we will end flaring within 24hrs.”

It added: “Major equipment is now online and operating safely, and the team are finalising the remaining steps to enable full plant start up.

During this final period of work, there may be some fluctuations to the flare but this is not a cause for concern.”

The plant owners stressed again that SEPA – the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, which has launched its own investigation –had confirmed that there is no cause for concern in relation to air quality from the flare.