The Mossmorran ethylene plant, operated by Exxon-Mobil and Shell, has been dogged by controversy and safety fears for years. Now an investigation has been launched into two explosions at the plant, further eroding trust between the operating companies and the local community.
The plant has been โtemporarily closedโ since 12 August 2019 over safety fears. ExxonMobil extended the closure in September, saying it will remain closed until at least November while it implements ยฃ140 million of measures to make it more โreliableโ.
At the time of the shutdown, ExxonMobil said that two of the plantโs three boilers had failed. Now it has been revealed that there were two explosions, which are being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and were not disclosed by the company at the time.
Linda Holt, a spokesperson for local campaigners the Mossmorran Action Group, told DeSmog she was โshockedโ to hear about the explosions. She said:
โHSE described the breakdowns as โcatastrophicโ, and they are currently the subject of a live investigation. We were also told that neither HSE nor Exxon have so far identified the cause. Rumours have been circulating locally that the boilers exploded, and HSEโs confirmation makes a mockery of ExxonMobilโs communication strategy.โ
โFor years local communities have lived with the fear of an accident at the plant; trying to hide explosions behind an announcement of a ยฃ140 million investment will only exacerbate local mistrust and fear.โ
Many local residents have also complained of adverse health effects from the environmental impact of the plant.
An HSE spokesperson confirmed an investigation into two explosions at the plant was ongoing.
Please support us by becoming a patron today!
Warnings
In August 2019, Shell and ExxonMobil were given two months by the environmental regulator to come up with a plan to fix the problem of flaring, where excess gas is burned on an open flame.
This followed the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) issuing final warning letters to both operators about flaring in 2018, which the regulator said was โpreventable and unacceptableโ.
The BBC reports that the key points in the Sepa August action plan included:
- Requiring both operators to achieve โbest available techniquesโ at the Fife petrochemical complex;
- That flaring will be the โexception rather than routineโ with new infrastructure to address unacceptable impacts of flaring events on local communities;
- That noise reducing flare tips be installed in 2020 and 2021;
- That ExxonMobil had two months to come forward with the โshortest period possible to plan, design, build and safely integrateโ new ground flare technology.
In July, the plant was issued with an improvement notice over the risk of an explosion.
At the time the HSE said ExxonMobil had failed to take all measures necessary to reduce the risk of โfirebox explosion from furnacesโ. The firebox is an area in the plantโs furnaces where fuel is burnt.
Stuart Neill, external affairs manager for ExxonMobil, said: โWe are concerned that comments have been made publicly on an ongoing regulatory investigation.โ
โIt would be inappropriate for ExxonMobil to comment until the HSEโs investigation, and our own, have been completed.โ
Main image credit: Alexnoel66/Wikimedia, CC-by-3.0
