FIFE Ethylene Plant at Mossmorran will temporarily shut down in April to begin its £140 million investment works.

And ExxonMobil say the delivery will be in safe hands as the man in charge, Maarten ten Doesschate, has already overseen similar projects for the company around the world.

It'll be the 14th major investment programme that he's led and the Dutchman likened it to a major service on your car – but on a much bigger scale.

Mr Doesschate said: “While our operations have always been safe, we know our reliability has not been as good as it can be. “This has led us to use our flare too often, which we know frustrates our local communities.

“This investment will improve our reliability by overhauling existing equipment, installing thousands of new parts and introducing the latest versions of the technologies available.”

He began his career with ExxonMobil in the Netherlands where he obtained a Masters in Chemical Engineering, and has worked with the company for over 35 years in a variety of roles.

He added: “We have a very skilled and knowledgeable team here at Fife Ethylene Plant who will be joined by over 850 specialist contractors.

"The work has been carefully planned and will be delivered to the highest standard.”

ExxonMobil, and Shell UK who run the Fife NGL Plant next door, have come under fire in recent years for repeated incidents of unplanned flaring, with both companies having been given final warnings from environment watchdog Sepa.

Legal proceedings were also launched last year.

The company said the £140m investment in the Fife Ethylene Plant, which has been delayed due to the pandemic, should alleviate many of the community concerns.

An estimated 300,000 hours of work will be delivered, including the installation of an advanced elevated flare tip, which will reduce noise and vibration.

“We will share more detail with you as the project moves forward, so please keep an eye on our social media and website for details,” he added.