Scotland’s environmental watchdog has launched a formal investigation into an unplanned flaring at a chemical plant.
The flaring is into its fifth day at the ExxonMobil Chemical Ltd facility at Mossmorran in Fife.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said it had received an “unprecedented” 600 complaints from members of the public reporting a chemical smell and rumbling noise.
ExxonMobil has blamed the flaring on a fault in a section of cable.
The company said that resulted in the plant being moved to “fail-safe mode”, but was now in the process of restarting operations.
What is chemical flaring?
Chemical flaring is used to relieve pressure without simply pumping potentially dangerous chemicals into the environment.
It generally happens when a problem has arisen and gas which cannot be processed properly is burned.
Flaring can represent a large loss of otherwise valuable products and energy capacity.
The process is regarded by industry experts as an important safety mechanism and is permitted through certain conditions.
But the latest incident comes after the company was served with final warning letters over similar incidents last year.
The watchdog found the flaring was “preventable and unacceptable”.
Sepa chief executive Terry A’Hearn said: “In addition to working hard to ensure ExxonMobil brings a halt to the flaring as quickly as possible, we have also launched this investigation into the incident.
“The unprecedented number of complaints we have received is a clear message and it’s one that we have heard powerfully and clearly.
“I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to help us understand the impacts of this flaring and I encourage people to continue to report to us.”
He added: “The Mossmorran complex is a major industrial facility, where this type of flaring is a legitimate safety mechanism.
“But it’s been happening too often, and the current level and extent of the flaring from ExxonMobil Chemical Limited is unacceptable.”
Content provided by the BBC. Original piece can be found here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-48051005