THE start-up of the Fife Ethylene Plant is going well and next week it will see the remainder of the system operational.

Plant boss at Mossmorran, Jacob McAlister said today: "Our safe re-start continues to progress well, with furnaces and boilers operational and other key equipment now running.

"Our team has successfully restricted the necessary flaring to the ground flare during this phase, and will continue to do so, wherever possible.

"It is currently anticipated that from early next week we will then begin re-starting the rest of the unit. This is the main phase requiring additional feed gas and, to ensure safety, the use of our elevated flare".

He added: "We have agreed with SEPA a way to do this that helps avoid unnecessary flaring. As we get closer to this main phase in our elevated flare, we will provide further updates on timings.

"People will appreciate that bringing the plant back into operation from a full shut down is complex, and we are taking the time required to do this safely and reliably at every stage. Should anyone have any questions, please let us know".