An oil and gas giant has cancelled a planned visit by an MSP to its Mossmorran site while an investigation takes place, the Scottish Greens have said.
Flaring has been taking place at operator ExxonMobil’s Fife Ethylene Plant at Mossmorran over a number of months.
Furious locals have reported door frames shaking as a result.
The problem, blamed by plant managers on a “mechanical issue”, is now to be investigated by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), according to the Greens.
In April, it was reported that the flaring caused black smoke to “belch” from the site.
Mark Ruskell MSP said: “I appreciate the greater detail ExxonMobil have provided us this time round regarding the cause of the latest outage, but the failure of two out of three boilers at the plant constitutes a major breakdown.
“No wonder the local community is concerned.
“It all adds to the growing evidence that we need an independent inquiry into the condition and safety of Mossmorran.”
The plant was the subject of an angry public meeting in May during which people said they had no trust in its operation following frequent bouts of pollution, noise, light and vibration.
Mr Ruskell added: “I was due to visit the site tomorrow and had a long list of questions to put to the operators, but this has now been cancelled.
“This would have been a good opportunity for Exxonmobil to show what happens on the plant during these incidents and demonstrate their commitment to the highest possible maintenance regime.”
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