Scotland’s Deputy First Minister has called on the UK Government to allocate at least £9 million to support communities affected by the closure of ExxonMobil’s Fife Ethylene Plant.
That would match the package offered by John Swinney’s administration under the Scottish Budget for 2026-27.
Kate Forbes' comments come after environmental activists slammed both Starmer and Swinney’s administrations for “learning nothing from the closure of Grangemouth”.
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s just transition campaigner, Catrina Randall said: “Fossil fuel companies like Exxon cannot be trusted with people or the planet and yet political leaders have abdicated responsibility and let this firm dictate what happens.
“Big business is setting the agenda and trampling over workers and communities, and our elected politicians are afraid to stand up to them.
“Nobody in either the UK or Scottish Government appears to have learned anything from the closure of Grangemouth. They are floundering around trying to respond to decisions by companies, rather than actively shaping the future of our industries.
“The money promised for workers must be spent with strong conditions on job creation, training and delivering wider community benefit.
“Exxon is one of the architects of the climate crisis, denying its reality for decades and continuing to pollute on every continent. This last-minute announcement continues their despicable record of contempt for people and communities.”
The facility at Mossmorran stopped production on February 2, which officials from Unite the Union said was premature.
General secretary, Sharon Graham called it “another nail in the coffin of the oil and gas industry”.
Plans to pull the plug were first revealed back in November, putting over 400 jobs at risk.
Initial lay-offs are set to see 70 receive redundancy packages at the end of April, and 90 will be retained until the first quarter of 2028 for decommissioning and dismantling work, with 20 relocated to London or Southampton.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “The Scottish Government is doing all it can to support the workforce at Mossmorran. I have written to worker representatives to assure them of our support and to ExxonMobil to ask that the workforce is prioritised.
“Since learning of this announcement, the Scottish Government has sought to mitigate the impact of this decision and are drawing on our experience and success at Grangemouth to support the workforce and secure a long-term future for the site.
“We have committed £9 million over three years to mitigate the impacts of the plant's closure, with our partnership action for continuing employment, providing skills and employability support to workers, and have called on the UK Government to at least match our commitment.
“This funding will also support the site's long-term future, with Scottish Enterprise identifying new investment opportunities.”
A company update published at the end of January showed that ExxonMobil posted earnings of $28.8 billion in 2025, compared with $33.7 billion the year before.
The government at Westminster recently backed the INEOS-operated Grangemouth crackers’ future with over £120m of investment, after the closure of the neighbouring Petroineos Grangemouth oil refinery led to hundreds of jobs being lost.
But in the case of Mossmorran, it said that intervention could have cost the taxpayer “potentially hundreds of millions of pounds to save a company in decline”, and that “no viable plan presented itself that would have secured the long-term future of the plant”.
A spokesperson commented: “We explored every reasonable avenue to support Mossmorran and to suggest otherwise is disingenuous, and we continue to engage with the company and wider sector to ensure we are doing everything we can to support the workers and find a viable future for the site.
“We know this is a difficult time for workers at Mossmorran and their families, which is why last month’s taskforce meeting saw us commit to ensuring all workers get a job interview at the Grangemouth cracker.
“We are determined that the Mossmorran site and its dedicated workforce have the best possible chance of a successful future.”
The government is said to be in discussions with other local employers and investors to find a buyer for the plot.
ExxonMobil’s UK Chairman, Paul Greenwood previously blamed UK-wide policy for the decision to pack up and leave, saying that the venture lacks a cheap and abundant supply of ethane, along with low-cost operations, and good market prices for ethylene.
Meanwhile, Labour have pointed to closures of ExxonMobil sites in Singapore and France as evidence that Starmer’s administration is not to blame.
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