THE new chief at the Fife Ethylene Plant stressed this week that Exxon/Mobil is working hard to identify ways of reducing light and noise intrusion from their Mossmorran operation.

Jacob McAlister made his comments in response to SEPA's announcement that they had completed their investigation into flaring at the Mossmorran site in general in 2017 and 2018.

Last week Cowdenbeath MSP said that would be keeping her eye on what was going on at the Shell NGL and FEP operations in the coming months following the SEPA announcement.

Mr McAlister, plant manager at the Fife Ethylene Plant, said: “ExxonMobil Chemical welcomes the update from SEPA, which acknowledges our continued commitment to minimise flaring at the plant.

"While instances of flaring – a vital operational procedure – are relatively infrequent, we absolutely understand the potential disturbance they can cause.

“Our highly skilled employees have worked tirelessly to address and correct the root cause of past events, and are committed to identifying further operational and technology solutions to reduce light and noise intrusion".

And he added: “Furthermore, only this month we safely completed a key piece of engineering maintenance without the need for flaring. "This demonstrated our commitment to planning and executing work in a way that ensures the safety of our employees and our surrounding communities, as well as protection of the environment.”