Overview
- ExxonMobil confirmed plans to close the Fife Ethylene Plant in February 2026, subject to consultation, after failing to find a buyer.
- About 179 direct roles and roughly 250 contractor jobs are at risk, with around 50 employees potentially transferring to Exxon’s Fawley site in Hampshire.
- UK ministers said they explored options but will not provide funding, with the industry minister citing the absence of a viable plan and reports the site would need nearly £1bn to become profitable.
- The Scottish Government will convene a taskforce and deploy PACE support for affected workers as unions call for a worker-led transition and insist Exxon remain at the table.
- Exxon’s UK chair blamed policy and cost pressures, pointing to CO2 charges, high energy costs and constrained ethane supply, as the closure follows wider industry retrenchment such as Grangemouth.