ExxonMobil Chemical Ltd pled guilty at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to breaching pollution control regulations at the Cowdenbeath plant on various occasions between April 7 and April 26, 2019.

The breaches occurred when the company was required to carry out continuous flaring for five days following an unexpected shutdown at the plant.

The Scottish Environmental and Protection Agency (SEPA) received over 900 complaints in relation to dark smoke and noise from the plant’s flare. Some of those complaining lived as far as five-and-a-half miles away in Kirkcaldy.

Some local residents compared the noise to the sound of a jet engine while others feared that a major explosion was imminent. Others complained of the incident disturbing their sleep.

Prosecutors identified that while the company did have suitable processes and procedures in place to have prevented the incident, the issue was that those processes and procedures were not followed to a high enough standard, leading to the violations of environmental legislation.

Iain Batho, who leads on environmental matters for the Crown Office, said: “The law in Scotland and the terms of the permits granted to companies involved in running petrochemical plants holds those companies to high standards designed to mitigate the risks of pollution and of causing disruption or harm to the general public.

“On this occasion ExxonMobil Chemical Ltd fell below those standards and breached the terms of their permit.

“The impact of the unplanned flaring from Mossmorran in April 2019 was both preventable and unacceptable and it caused substantial stress and anxiety to people living within several miles of the plant.

“This was a complex case following a thorough and large-scale investigation by SEPA.

“The conviction in this case highlights that large global companies will ultimately be held to account for breaches of environmental legislation in Scotland and recognises the significant impact that this incident had on local communities.”