Contact us
Contact Us
How to contact Shell and Fife NGL plant
If you live locally and you would like to contact someone in relation to our operations at Fife NGL urgently or in an emergency, then please contact us using the below details. We aim to respond to you as quickly as possible.
Shell Fife NGL Gatehouse +44 (0) 1383 892090 or the
Braefoot Bay Loading Terminal Gatehouse +44 (0) 1383 892190.
Feedback
We aim to be a valued member of the community. At the plant, operations are managed with care for the safety of staff, the community and the environment. If you live locally and your request is not urgent, such as if you have feedback for us or would like to make a complaint, please fill in this form and we will reply as soon as possible.
Community notices
2020
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September
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Update on return of module into operation and planned use of flare
Monday, 28 September 2020
Dear community members,
I’ m writing with a short update on the restart of Module 1 following our annual maintenance work.
As notified in my last community notice (25 September) we experienced a slight delay to some of the work in our schedule and had planned for the module to be brought back into operation today.
Unfortunately we’ve had to readjust our timeline following this delay and the restart of the module will now take place on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 September.
Whilst this process is underway, it’s possible that you may see short periods of low intensity flaring in the elevated flare. We will prioritise the use of the ground flares to keep elevated flaring to a minimum.
We have informed the regulator SEPA of this update.
I would like to thank you once again for your patience during this work.
Please contact us if you have any questions or comment. Our notices and contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind regards,
Craig Burnett
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plantCommunity Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Update on maintenance work and planned use of flare
Friday, 25 September 2020
Dear community members,
Further to my previous community notice last Friday (18 September), our mechanical maintenance work is now complete and we’re preparing to bring Module 1 back into operation.
We carried out some of the flaring associated with this process earlier this week but we’ve experienced a slight delay to some of the work in our original timeline. The restart of the module will now be completed between Sunday 27 and Monday 28 September.
Whilst this process is underway, you may see short periods of low intensity flaring in the elevated flare. We will prioritise the use of the ground flares to keep elevated flaring to a minimum.
We have communicated this to the regulator SEPA.
I apologise for any inconvenience caused by this change in timing and would like to reassure you once again that there is no risk to the local community. Thank you for your continued patience throughout this period.
Please contact us if you have any questions or comment. Our notices and contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Craig Burnett
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plantCommunity Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Planned use of flare for completion of maintenance
Friday, 18 September 2020
Dear community members,
Following on from my community notice on 24 August, I am pleased to say that our annual Turnaround, where we complete thorough maintenance on one of the plant’s modules, has progressed well and the work is nearly complete.
Next week we will begin reintroducing gas to the module, which will require the use of the flare. We will prioritise the use of the ground flares to minimise the impact on the community but as before, you may see intermittent periods of flaring in the elevated stack between Monday 21 and Thursday 24 September. We do not expect each period to be for more than a few hours. Please rest assured that there is no risk to the local community.
We have informed the regulator SEPA of our intention.
I hope you find the advance notice of use of the flare helpful. Thank you for your understanding.
Please contact us if you have any questions or comment. Our notices and contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Craig Burnett
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant -
August
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Completion of planned flaring
Monday, 24 August 2020
Dear community members,
In follow up to my community notice (13 August) informing you of our annual ‘Turnaround’ and potential flaring between 18 and 22 August, I’d like to let you know that we completed this a day early last Friday.
The module was emptied of hydrocarbons safely, and the planned, routine maintenance work on the module is now underway.
I trust you understand the need for us to carry out this necessary work periodically, and I hope the notices of our activity are helpful. Thank you for your understanding.
Please contact us if you have any questions or comment. Our notices and contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Craig Burnett
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plantCommunity Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Return to normal operations and upcoming planned maintenance
Thursday, 13 August 2020
Dear community members,
Following my community notice issued yesterday (12 August) regarding the use of our elevated flare due to the extreme weather, we have now safely returned the plant to normal operations.
Thank you for your patience during this time and I apologise for any inconvenience caused.
I would also like to notify you that next week we will start our annual ‘Turnaround’ at the Shell Fife NGL plant. The Turnaround is an important activity for the maintenance of the plant so that we can continue to operate effectively to our safety standards and industry regulations.
In order for this work to be carried out safely we need to empty Module 1 of hydrocarbons, which will require use of the flare.
As usual, we will prioritise the use of the ground flares to minimise the impact on the community but you may see occasional, short periods of low intensity flaring in the elevated stack between Tuesday 18 and Saturday 22 August. We do not expect each period to be for more than a few hours.
We have informed the regulator SEPA of our intention.
Please contact us if you have any questions or comment. Our notices and contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Craig Burnett
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plantCommunity Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Use of elevated flare
Wednesday, 12 August 2020
Dear community members,
Due to the extreme weather overnight, the Fife NGL Plant experienced a loss in power supply which has resulted in the use of our elevated flare.
We are taking measures to minimise the flaring and any disturbance, and we are working hard to return to normal operations.
We have informed the regulator SEPA of the situation.I apologise for the inconvenience caused by the flaring. I want to reassure you that the flare is an essential part of the plant’s safety systems and there is no risk to the local community.
Please contact us if you have any questions or comment. Our notices and contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Craig Burnett
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
New Plant Manager
Thursday, 6 August 2020
Dear community members,
I would like to introduce myself as the new Plant Manager for the Shell Fife NGL Plant. My name is Craig Burnett, and I’m taking over this month from Teresa Waddington, who is moving to a new role with Shell in Canada after three years in the role. I have been working closely with Teresa, overseeing the safe operations of our plant for the last two years as Production Coordinator.
I joined Shell following a merger with BG Group in 2016 having previously worked with BG Group and Talisman Energy in the North Sea. I also worked on the now Shell-operated Queensland LNG Project, including supporting our community engagement there. My early background is as a Chemical Engineer. I’m originally from Banchory, west of Aberdeen, and I have a wife and young son.
Since first coming to work at Shell’s plant at Mossmorran two years ago, it’s been clear how vital it is for energy supply from the North Sea and what a strong contribution it makes to the economies of the local area and Scotland more widely. But equally important is the need for us to be a good neighbour to people living nearby, and that particularly includes continuing to minimise any flaring at the plant.
Our community relations will remain a priority as I take over the running of the plant.I look forward meeting with or speaking to many of you in the coming months.
In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me (or Mairi McKay as our Community Liaison Officer) if you have any questions or comment - or if you would like to meet or visit the site when Covid restrictions ease. Our notices and contact details can be found on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Craig Burnett
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
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June
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Completion of ground flare maintenance
Friday, 26 June 2020
Dear community members,
I’m following up on my community notice issued last Thursday (18 June) regarding essential maintenance on the two ground flares on the Fife NGL site over three days from 23 to 25 June.
I’m pleased to let you know that we successfully and safely completed the work ahead of schedule, and the ground flares were returned to service yesterday.
This work is part of our significant ongoing investment in the plant every year, and our commitment to operate effectively and to high safety standards.
I hope you found notice of this work helpful. Our contact details are on the plant website in case you have any questions or feedback for us.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager
Fife NGL Plant
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Planned maintenance of ground flares
Thursday, 18 June 2020
Dear community members,
In the context of measures we are taking to meet recent permit variations and manage flaring at the site, I’d like to let you know that we plan to carry out essential maintenance on the two ground flares on site over three days from Tuesday 23 to Thursday 25 June.
We usually work on the ground flares one at a time so that the other remains available but maintenance work that is required on a common system means both will be shut off on this occasion. The temporary unavailability of both ground flares means any flaring during the maintenance period will be directed to an elevated stack-flare. However we don’t anticipate any need to flare at the Fife NGL plant during this time. We have informed our regulator the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) of this, and we have liaised with the neighbouring Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP) to coordinate the work.
It is important that we maintain the ground flares as vital equipment on site for our and our neighbour’s use, and we would like to offer reassurance that this is a routine process with no risk to the community. I apologise in case it may lead to any inconvenience,and thank you for your understanding.
Please contact us via the contact details on the plant website if you have any questions or comment.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL Plant -
March
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Update on trial of flare-monitoring camera
Tuesday 3 March 2020
Dear community members,
I’m following up on my community notice issued yesterday (Monday 2 March) regarding work to trial an infrared flare-monitoring camera as part of our BAT (Best Available Techniques) recommendations.
I’m pleased to let you know that we successfully completed the camera test before noon today and we worked to ensure a low volume of flaring to minimise the impact on the community.
I would like to thank you for your understanding.
Our contact details are on the plant website in case you have any questions or comment.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL PlantNotification of planned, short test of flare stack, and update on ground flare use
Monday 2 March 2020
Dear community members,
You may know that the Shell UK plant, one of two plants co-located on the Mossmorran site, has recently carried out a thorough assessment of Best Available Techniques (BAT) to minimise the impact of flaring, and has submitted plans to the regulator SEPA.
In preparation for a new elevated flare stack tip to be installed at our plant next year, we need to trial the use of an infrared flare-monitoring camera during flaring.
If the trial is successful, the camera will provide an accurate method of flare monitoring and steam control, reducing the potential for black smoke on rare occasions of high-pressure flaring.
For the trial, a short period of planned flaring will be required in our elevated flare stack during daylight hours on Tuesday 3 March. Our plan is to flare no longer than 30 minutes and at a low rate. This is not high volume flaring, and SEPA is aware of our activities.
We are committed to investing in and managing our operations to minimise both the frequency and impact of flaring. I hope this note helps you know what to expect, and that the information provided gives insight into why the flaring is taking place.
Also, following the safe re-start of the neighbouring Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP), I would like to let you know that it is no longer necessary for the Fife Natural Gas Liquids plant (Fife NGL) ground flares to be in continual use for excess ethane arriving at the plant, and our operation has returned to normal after an unusual period.
I would like to thank you for your patience during this time, and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comment. We welcome feedback from the community and we will respond: our contact details are on the plant website.
Kind regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
2019
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December
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Our operations over the Christmas period
Thursday, 19 December 2019
Dear community members,
I share a brief update on the situation at the Shell Fife Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) plant as it continues to operate over the Christmas period in order to supply energy products during the continued temporary shutdown of the neighbouring Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP).
I have agreed to a plan to use the Fife NGL elevated flare stack for a few hours on Sunday to enable FEP to carry out some work on their plant as they build towards start-up in January. It should not be high volume and we are working hard to ensure there is minimal elevated flaring during their work before Christmas; there is none planned over Christmas. We have informed the regulator the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) of the situation.
As you may know, the Fife NGL ground flares have been in use to burn a smaller than usual volume of ethane arriving at the plant since FEP shut down temporarily.
I mentioned in my note in August that Shell took measures to lower the amount of ethane piped to Mossmorran. Shell restricted the overall amount of gas from North Sea gas fields that arrives at the St Fergus gas plant near Peterhead. We also put as much ethane as we’re permitted to into the mix we send to the National Grid at St Fergus, and we have taken other measures where we can.
While we are very conscious of the community impacts of ground-flaring the excess ethane, it is important that the Fife NGL plant continues to operate as it has done since August for two reasons.
Firstly, our operation enables methane gas to be separated at St Fergus Gas Plant for the National Grid to supply homes, businesses and power stations. And secondly, the Fife NGL plant continues to supply the propane, butane, and gasoline that thousands of customers rely on. Both these aspects of energy supply are as necessary over Christmas and the winter as during the rest of the year.
Within this unusual operating mode at Mossmorran, we will continue to manage our operations to keep flaring to a minimum. I recognise the inconvenience it can cause, and I hope this update is helpful in explaining the situation. Please rest assured that we will continue to operate with care, and with the community in mind over Christmas.
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. You can find our notices and contact details on the plant website.
I wish you a Merry Christmas,
Teresa
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
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August
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Operations update, and occasional flaring due to shutdown situation
Tuesday, 20 August 2019
Dear community members,
The Shell Fife Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) plant is in a transitional phase as it adjusts operations to continue to process following the temporary shutdown of the neighbouring Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP).
In the last few days, the flow of product that comes to us in the gas supply system from the North Sea has been reduced in order that we can stop the supply of ethane to the FEP while it is not operating.
Due to these unusual circumstances, there have been occasional, short periods of minutes of low volume flaring in the Fife NGL plant’s elevated flare. The Fife NGL ground flares have also been in use.
Looking ahead – occasional use of elevated flare
Looking ahead to the period during which FEP remains shut down, currently estimated to be four weeks, I expect this pattern to continue, regrettably, as we manage the situation.
This means there are likely to be occasional, short periods of flaring in the elevated flare stacks on site. And due to the absence of steam from FEP, which would allow for clean combustion, this could be smoky for short periods. We have informed the regulator SEPA of this, and they are aware of the unusual situation.
I’d like to emphasise that the elevated flaring will not be continuous during the FEP shutdown period, and that we aim to minimise it. We will prioritise use of the Fife NGL ground flares, which are less visible than the elevated flare stacks, so as to minimise the impact on the community.
I apologise for any inconvenience or concern caused bythis flaring. Please rest assured that there is no risk to the local community.
Energy Supplies
The importance of us continuing to process Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) at the Fife NGL plant is to maintain the supply of energy products on which thousands of communities regionally and nationally depend. Key is how the plant enables methane gas to be taken off at the St Fergus Gas Plant.
St Fergus supplies gas to the National Grid for homes for cooking gas, as well as to gas-generated power plants that produce electricity across the country. Fife NGL supplies, for example, the propane gas that is distributed to off-grid users such as homes and other users in remote locations in Fife and beyond.
Annual Maintenance Activity update
In follow up to my recent community notice regarding the planned intermittent flaring for our annual ‘Turnaround’, we completed the task of emptying one of the plant’s processing modules for maintenance to be done. Our planning allowed us to manage this process and prioritise use of our ground flares so that we used our elevated flare stack for less than one hour over the 72 hour period we notified. The more extensive elevated flaring that followed was as notified by the neighbouring Fife Ethylene Plant.
I hope you find this notice helpful. Please share this with others who may be interested in your communities and let us know if you have any questions or comment. Our notices and contact details can be found on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Planned maintenance and use of flare
Wednesday, 7 August 2019
Dear community members,
This weekend we will start our annual ‘Turnaround’ at the Shell Fife NGL plant, where we will reduce production over a 15-day period in order to carry out planned investment and maintenance on the plant.
As part of this Turnaround, I would like to notify the local community of planned, intermittent, low intensity use of the Fife NGL flare stack during a period of 72 hours, beginning 10am on Saturday the 10th of August.
We will use the flare to empty the pipes and vessels on Module 3, which then enables us to complete testing on our safety systems and maintenance on the Module’s safety-critical valves. The plant preparation will be phased in order to minimise the flaring rates as far as possible.
Please rest assured that there is no risk to the local community, and that we will take measures to minimise the impact of the flare stack. We have informed the regulator SEPA of our intention.
This is a necessary activity that we undertake, and represents our ongoing investment to ensure the plant continues to operate effectively and to high safety standards.
Please contact us if you have any questions or comment. Our notices and contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
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May
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Report submitted based on BAT Assessment
Wednesday, 1 May 2019
Dear community members,
Following an assessment of the Shell Fife NGL plant flare system over recent months, we yesterday (30 April) submitted a report - a proposed Implementation Plan, to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
We are constantly delivering continuous improvement at the plant, and we are confident that we can implement some additional measures at Shell FNGL based on our assessment in relation to Best Available Techniques (BAT) available globally.
We have proposed measures as part of our upgrade and maintenance planning and investment, as well as a timescale for implementation, recognising that some measures will require longer to implement than others.
The process is now for the regulator SEPA to review the plan alongside an equivalent plan for the Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP). We understand SEPA is fully aware of community concerns and will continue to provide updates in due course.
Please contact us if you have any questions or comment. Our contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Teresa
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
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March
Shell Fife Family Fun Day
The Shell gas plant in Fife is holding a Family Fun Day at St. Colme House in Aberdour on Saturday 25 May in collaboration with the Aberdeen Science Centre.
This FREE event for the communities near the plant aims to encourage and inspire young children to explore and question science through hands-on experiments and interactive fun in easy workshops and entertaining shows.
The science shows include Glasgow Science Centre – Body Works, Viking Scientist, Archaeology Scotland, Institute of Civil Engineers, Napier University, the shell Saltwater Car Challenge and there will be other attractions such as Angela's Squiggly Face Painting.
Shell Fife NGL plant manager Teresa Waddington said: “Science plays an important role in meeting some of society’s most pressing challenges, including the need for more and cleaner energy. Having fun with science at an early age can encourage children to further their interest at secondary school and beyond, and we’re all for this. We also like to meet with our neighbours. Please come along and enjoy a fun day out”.
The event will be supported by employees from the Shell plant at Mossmorran and the Aberdeen Science Centre. Anyone interested in finding out more about the purpose of the plant, its operations and its role in the community is welcome to come along and talk to people there.
The event opens at 1030 and closes at 1600hrs. Refreshments including hot drinks, scones and juice and crisps will be available throughout the day. There will also be free parking.
Keep up to date and register your interest on our Facebook Event
Directions: Click Here
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February
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
A summary of recent communication measures
Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Dear community members,
I share here a short summary of communication measures we have taken over the last 18 months. I welcome your feedback on the effectiveness of these measures at community meetings or by email reply.
This summary includes content we provide in updates at quarterly Mossmorran & Braefoot Bay Community & Safety Liaison Committee meetings, which are minuted and published by Fife Council, and we will share this summary at the March meeting.
I invite residents of the Community Councils represented in the Committee above to contact us if you are a neighbor of the plant and would like to receive our Community Notices direct by email.
- We published a Shell Fife NGL plant website in June 2018 where people can find:
- Information about our operations, including the purpose of the plant, rules that govern our flaring, and our role and activities in the community.
- A Community Notices section
- Contact details to call the plant urgently or make a complaint or give us feedback
- A list of ‘useful links’ to key public information on Mossmorran e.g. SEPA, Fife Council
- We have sought to improve our Community Notices content in line with feedback:
- More frequent email notices sent to a wider community distribution list (open to new subscribers).
- More informative with an appropriate level of detail and clear, non-technical, jargon-free language
Content has included more about our flaring equipment, why we flare occasionally, and our approach to maintenance and safety, as well as other activities at the plant
- We have hired a Community Liaison Officer who lives in Fife to be based in Fife (from April) to meet and listen to people, and help address community concerns more easily.
- We invited members of the community to the plant in June 2018 to meet the plant manager, tour the site, and discuss community concern. Attendance was lower than we expected, perhaps due to the Cowdenbeath Gala. We are planning an off-site event in 2019 to encourage greater attendance.
- We invited Fife MPs, MSPs, Councilors and Community Councilors to the plant in September 2017 to meet the new plant manager, tour the site, and raise any concern with us. We invited local journalists to site the same month.
- We are an active participant in the established M&BB Community & Safety Liaison Committee under Fife Council, which has a structured governance and is a sustainable community engagement forum. We have supported measures to improve its effectiveness, and responded promptly to questions raised via Community Councilors at this forum, which meets quarterly.
- We are an active participant in the M&BB Independent Air Quality Monitoring Review Group, which advises Fife Council, and we are committed to supporting measures to improve its effectiveness while ensuring it remains independent.
- We have provided updates and responded to questions in Communities Working Group meetings to address community concern.
Please contact us if you have any questions or comment. Our contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Teresa
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
- We published a Shell Fife NGL plant website in June 2018 where people can find:
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January
Community Notice - Shell Fife NGL Plant
Potential use of flare during nearby maintenance work
Wednesday, 30 January 2019
Dear community members,
I would like to make residents and neighbours aware that flaring may be noticeable at times at Fife NGL for short periods during planned maintenance work due to be carried out at the neighbouring Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP) operated by ExxonMobil.
This is over an estimated period of 4-10 days from Sunday 3rd February; we cannot be more specific than this. Shell UK has planned a significant reduction of capacity in the system that supplies the plants to allow for the FEP maintenance work to be done with as little flaring as possible.
We are prioritising the use of two less visible Fife NGL ground flares, which both plants have use of, over elevated flaring (via flare stack). If there is a need to use the Fife NGL elevated flare during this time, it should be a smaller flame due to the low amounts of throughput.
I can reassure you that flaring is an essential part of the plant’s safety systems, and we aim to minimise any disturbance. We have planned carefully for steady operations during the work.
Please contact us if you have any questions or comment. Our contact details are on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
2018
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December
Shell Fife NGL Plant Community Notice: Flaring Incident 05.12.2018.
Wednesday, 5 December 2018
Dear community colleagues,
Shell Fife Natural Gas Liquid’s Plant is currently undergoing a technology upgrade in our control room. It is a complex piece of work involving new computers and software in our control room, updating and upgrading equipment to keep the plant up to date with the latest technology. We began the final move over from the old hardware to the new, on the morning of Tuesday, 4th December. Then on Tuesday evening a software issue caused our plant to trip and safely shutdown. Due to this, we used the elevated flare from 23:57 to 3:10. We have informed SEPA of the incident.
I apologise for the inconvenience caused by the flaring and I want to reassure you that the flare is an essential part of the plant’s safety systems. We aim to minimise any disturbance as we return the plant to normal operations by Thursday evening.
Please share it with others who may be interested in your communities and let us know if you have questions or comment. Our contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant -
November
Shell Fife NGL - Braefoot Bay Marine Terminal
Thursday, 22 Nov 2018
Dear Community members,
Local residents and neighbours may have noticed Fire Service vehicles at the Braefoot Bay Marine Terminal this afternoon.
The Fire Service was called as a precaution as we acted to detect and then isolate a leak from a valve gasket that supplies liquid propane at the site. The Fire Service departed after a new gasket was installed.
There was no risk to the public, and personnel on site are safe. We have informed the regulators SEPA and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).
The Braefoot Bay Marine Terminal is situated 7km south of the Shell Fife NGL Plant.
Our contact details are on the plant website in case you have any questions or comment.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant -
September
Shell Fife NGL Plant Community Notice: Flare tip replacement and potential smoky flare.
Monday, 17 September 2018
Dear Community members,
I am following up on my community notice of Wednesday 27 June regarding work to replace a flare tip on site. The work is due to complete this week and the flare tip will be ready to bring back into service.
This is to notify you that we intend to refit the steam valve on Wednesday, 19 September and there will be a period of approximately 12 hours when we will not be able to inject steam into the flare tip. Steam is used to ensure the full combustion of the flare and minimise smoky flaring. We aim not to use the elevated flare during this operation but in the unlikely case that we do it is likely to be a smoky flare for a short period.
We have informed SEPA and the neighbouring Fife Ethylene Plant. As usual we aim to minimise any impact of the work on the community. As before, we will prioritise use of two ground flares over use of the elevated flare, and we have planned carefully for steady operations during the work. We did not need to use the elevated flare during the June operation to take the flare tip offline.
I hope you find this notice helpful. Please share it with others who may be interested and let us know if you have questions or comment. Our contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
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August
Planned maintenance and use of flare at Shell Fife NGL plant
Thursday, 9 August 2018
Dear Community members,
Next week we begin preparations for a planned ‘Turnaround’ at the Shell Fife NGL plant, which is when we purposefully reduce production operations over a few weeks to prioritise carrying out important, planned maintenance work.
This activity and investment takes place most years at this time of year and is part of running a well maintained site, as well as ensuring safe operations and the integrity and longevity of the plant as a vital piece of North Sea energy supply infrastructure.
As part of this activity, I would like to notify residents close to our operations in Fife of some planned use of the elevated flare intermittently for 48 hours from the morning of Tuesday 14th August, and then again when we re-start the module from Friday 14th September for 24 hours.
This planned use of our flares is to fullyremove hydrocarbons from one of our three modules to enable us to do thorough inspections and refurbishment. During this Turnaround, we will empty the pipes and vessels of Module 3 in order to be able to work on them. We push as much of the product out of the lines as possible via normal processing routes, and what remains is then sent to flare.
Please be reassured that we will take measures to minimise the impact, and there is no risk to the local community. We aim to manage operations so as to use our less visible ground flares and limit use of the elevated flare stack.
We have informed the regulator SEPA and the neighbouring ExxonMobil Fife Ethylene Plant.
I trust you appreciate the need for us to carry out important maintenance work periodically, and find the advance notice of use of the flare helpful to minimise any inconvenience it may cause. Thank you for your understanding.
Please let us know if you have questions or comment. Our contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
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July
Dear community colleagues
Thursday 12 July, 2018
I would like to make you aware of a civil penalty Shell U.K. Limited has paid for a past technical error at the Shell Fife NGL plant at Mossmorran. A metering error resulted in an inaccuracy in our annual reportable emissions under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for the years 2013 to 2015.
Shell UK self-reported the error in our historical data to SEPA as soon as we identified it in March 2017. We investigated the cause, which was in the metering and data transfer of volumes of fuel used by a single propane unit at the plant.
We had under reported propane unit volumes by approximately 0.5% of total plant volumes for the period, and as a consequence not surrendered sufficient allowances to cover our annual reportable emissions from the installation under the ETS over the three year period.
We regret that this happened. Shell UK has since submitted revised data and surrendered allowances to correct the situation. The inadvertent reporting error had no impact on actual levels of carbon dioxide emitted by the plant.
SEPA has recognised our proactive notification, investigation and subsequent actions as mitigating factors in their determination of the £40,056 penalty.
Please share this with others in your communities who may be interested, and let us know if you have questions or comment. Our contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
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June
Dear community colleagues
Wednesday 27 June, 2018
I would like to let you know of some work we plan to carry out on the Shell Fife NGL site, Mossmorran next week on Tuesday 3rd July as part of a programme to replace the tip of a flare stack, and a small chance of a smoky flare.
We operate the plant with two flares online, and a third as a spare to allow us to carry out maintenance. Over the last year, we have implemented a project to replace the middle tip. The new tip is a more modern design in line with changes in UK industry regulations. Once this tip is back in service, we plan to replace the left flare tip.
Next week we intend to service the middle flare before bringing it online and this involves an overhaul of its valves including a steam-control valve; a valve that regulates the steam that is injected into the flare. Steam is used to ensure the full combustion of the flare and minimise smoky flaring.
This work will improve steam injection efficiency in the longer term. However, it means we will not be able inject steam for approximately 12 hours while the work is carried out from 0700 on Tuesday 3rd July, and so if we do need to flare during this time it is likely to be a smoky flare for a short period.
We have discussed this work with the approval of the regulator SEPA, and coordinated it with the neighbouring Fife Ethylene Plant to do our best to minimise any impact of the work on the community.
We will prioritise use of our two ground flares over use of our flare stacks, and we have planned carefully for steady operations during the work. This includes restricting activities that could increase the likelihood of using the flare. For example, we will hold off switching between duty and stand-by equipment during this period.
We anticipate that another short outage will be required after the valves have been replaced, and I intend to share a short follow-up communication about this.
I hope you find this advance notice and more detailed information about our maintenance and flares reassuring and helpful. Please share it with others who may be interested in your communities, and let us know if you have questions or comment. Our contact details are also on the plant website.
Kind Regards,
Teresa Waddington
Plant Manager, Shell Fife NGL plant
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May
Community Day at Shell plant, Mossmorran
Tuesday 1 May, 2008
The Shell Fife NGL plant at Mossmorran will hold a Community Day on Saturday 16th June, 2018.
Members of the local communities are invited to request to attend a morning session from 1000-1230hrs or an afternoon session from 1330-1600hrs.
Each session will consist of a briefing with the Shell Fife NGL Plant Manager, a tour of the site processing facilities by bus, including the operations control room, and conclude with a feedback session and refreshments.
If you are interested, please email your request to john.raine@shell.com with your Name, Address, Community Council, which session you would like to attend (Morning or Afternoon). It will be helpful if you can CC your community councillor.
Please note the number of visitors we can have on site is limited and so we propose to host a maximum of 80 people (aged 18 years or over) per session.
We will register people on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
Thank you
Teresa Waddington
Shell Fife NGL Plant Manager
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April
Community note from the Shell Fife NGL plant manager Teresa Waddington
Thursday 19 April 2018
Dear community members,
As you may be aware, the Shell UK Fife NGL plant at Mossmorran has received a final warning letter from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) with regard to our part in one of the flaring events last June.
We take compliance very seriously and we recognise that the unusual flaring events at the Mossmorran complex in June 2017 raised community concern around flaring and air quality. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused in the community by our part in the event.
In response, we have been cooperating with SEPA and working closely with our neighbours at the ExxonMobil-operated Fife Ethylene Plant on technical and operational measures that will help avoid the circumstances that led to the flaring last June.
We stepped up our engagement in the community last July to better understand concerns and share more information more widely about Shell UK plant operations within the Mossmorran complex. This work is ongoing with community groups and other parties to address the concerns raised.
I share some background information below for context of the plant’s role in energy supply and in the local economy, as well as our flaring activity.
Kind Regards,
Teresa WaddingtonAbout the Shell-operated Fife NGL plant
The ‘Mossmorran complex’ includes two sites operated by two companies: the Shell-operated Fife NGL fractionation plant and the ExxonMobil-operated Fife Ethylene Plant.
The Shell Fife NGL fractionation plant is a critical piece of infrastructure in a system that transports, processes and distributes gas from the North Sea, helping meet industry and domestic power needs, and providing feedstock to manufacture a wide range of household products in Scotland and the UK. Total capacity at the plant is 12,500 tonnes per day.
The plant employs more than 250 people, the majority of whom are local and help make us part of the community. We procure local goods and services, and support social investment programmes in nearby communities in Fife.
About our flaring
Occasional use of an elevated flare is necessary to run the plant safely, acting like a safety valve when the plant cannot process properly. This is typically for hours rather than days, and we aim to notify the community in advance of any planned flaring, and as soon as we can for any unplanned events.
We aim to avoid and minimise flaring, which we recognise can be a significant inconvenience to neighbours in the local community. The Shell Fife NGL plant has had cause to notify the local community of six flaring events in the last three years. The average total amount flared at the Shell Fife NGL plant is less than 0.1% of throughput.
We work hard to do the right thing, to avoid harm to people and to manage our impact on the environment. Below our safety and environmental priorities, it is also not in our commercial interest to flare as the value of the products we process is lost when we flare.
SCDI Young Engineers Clubs – Dundee University
The event gives Young Engineers and Science Clubs from primary and secondary schools in the region the opportunity to showcase their activities, be judged for the Regional Club of the Year title (primary and secondary), share best practice and compete in a series of exciting, three-minute hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) challenges set by companies. Around 100 young engineers, teachers and companies are expected to attend this action-packed day.
Shell is Lead Sponsor of SCDI Young Engineer Science Clubs. The purpose of the programme is to engage young people in practical, exciting, hands-on science and engineering activities and to enthuse them to pursue a career in science, engineering and technology. There are 800 science, engineering and technology clubs operating throughout Scotland, from Orkney to Dumfries with a membership of more than 12,000 girls and boys.
To find out more please click the following link: http://www.yecscotland.co.uk/
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March
Shell Twilight Basketball
We have sessions running in Fife at Levenmouth, Dunfermline and Lochgelly on Friday nights.
Shell Twilight Basketball is a national programme which provides basketball sessions infused with education and life-skills. Sessions are free and are available for all 11-21 years old.
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February
Community note from Shell Fife NGL Intermittent Flaring notice
Friday 23 February
Shell U.K. Limited (Shell) would like to inform the local community that a processing module at the Shell Fife NGL Plant was shut down today to carry out immediate maintenance work. Between the hours of 1100hrs – 1430hrs (February 23) local residents may have noticed a small amount of intermittent flaring from the elevated flare. We have informed the regulator, SEPA of the incident. The work is almost complete and the process to re-start the module will be begin in the next 24 hours.
Teresa Waddington, Plant Manager at Shell Fife NGL said: “We apologise to the local community for the flaring incident today. The flare is an essential part of the plant’s safety systems. I would like to assure residents that we aim to minimise any disturbance and the plant is now being returned to normal operations.”
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January
Tomorrows Engineers
Shell has contributed over £1million to expand the Tomorrow’s Engineers programme throughout the UK. It reaches approximately 200 secondary schools across Scotland. Shell’s investment will give thousands more Scottish students, aged 11-14, hands-on engineering experiences, and help them explore the diverse range of opportunities that a technical career can provide.
Useful links
Fife Council
Fife’s Air Quality Strategy for 2015 – 2020
Fife Air Quality – how and where the Council monitors air quality.(published July 2017)
Mossmorran & Braefoot Bay Independent Air Quality Monitoring Review Group (for meeting minutes and annual reports)
Mossmorran & Braefoot Bay Independent Air Quality Monitoring Review Group 2017 Annual Report
Mossmorran & Braefoot Bay Independent Air Quality Monitoring Review Group 2016 Annual Report
Mossmorran and Braefoot Bay Community and Safety Committee (for meeting minutes and Mossmorran and Braefoot Bay Community Safety Committee constitution)
Mossmorran and Braefoot Bay Community and Safety Liaison Committee (for meeting minutes and constitution)
Emergency Resilience
Cancer Mortality Rate Surrounding Mossmorran Plants
Health & Safety Executive
Information relating to Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH)
SEPA
Compliance Assessment Scheme (CAS)
Compliance Assessment Scheme - Assessment Reports
Control of Major Accident Hazards regulations (COMAH)
Scottish Air Quality Database – latest air quality map for Mossmorran
Mossmorran newsletter (latest issue)
Mossmorran newsletter sign-up form
Mossmorran and Braefoot Bay complexes
Warning Letters to a) ExxonMobil, b) Shell
Permit Variations for a) ExxonMobil, b) Shell
Position statement on Air Quality at Mossmorran
Pollution prevention and control
Air Quality Monitoring Mossmorran – Summary Report (January – April 2019)
Committee reports
Committee Reports
We provide safety, operational, environmental and social investment updates through our reports to the quarterly community liaison meetings.