The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Man at helm of £140m plant investment says project is in safe hands
The man charged with overseeing a £140 million investment at Mossmorran has insisted the project is in safe hands.
When Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP) temporarily shuts down in April to enable improvement work to begin, Maarten ten Doesschate will take the reins of his 14th major investment programme for plant operator Exxonmobil.
Hundreds of specialist workers will descend on the site near Cowdenbeath to complete various strands of the ambitious project, with work on an advanced elevated flare tip expected to vastly reduce the amount of noise and vibration emanating from the plant during periods of flaring.
That, for long-suffering neighbouring residents, cannot come quickly enough.
“While our operations have always been safe, we know our reliability has not been as good as it can be,” Maarten said.
“This has led us to use our flare too often, which we know frustrates our local communities.
“This investment will improve our reliability by overhauling existing equipment, installing thousands of new parts and introducing the latest versions of the technologies available.
“We have a very skilled and knowledgeable team here at FEP who will be joined by over 850 specialist contractors.
“The work has been carefully planned and will be delivered to the highest standard.”
Maarten began his career with Exxonmobil in the Netherlands where he obtained a Masters in chemical engineering, and has worked with the company for over 35 years in a variety of roles.
Among his previous posts were technical and plant manager in Rotterdam, start-up and safety manager in Singapore and investment project manager in Beaumont and Baytown in the USA, and Antwerp in Belgium.
Maarten, who is married and has two grown-up children who live in the Netherlands, likens the forthcoming programme to a major service on your car – but on a much bigger scale.
An estimated 300,000 hours of work will be delivered, and he has reassured Fifers that regular updates will be provided as the project progresses.
“We will share more detail with you as the project moves forward, so please keep an eye on our social media and website for details,” he added.