A proposal by defence firm TBG International to build an energetics manufacturing facility at the former Fife Ethylene Plant at Mossmorran will require an environmental impact assessment, Fife Council has determined. The proposal involves new manufacturing and storage buildings alongside the reuse of existing offices and warehouses.
The council received the screening request on 8 September. Its planning record lists an “EIA Required” decision issued on 25 September, while the formal screening letter to TBG International is dated 29 September.
The letter says the proposed development falls within the category of an integrated chemical installation intended for the production of explosives. The determination concerns the requirement for an environmental assessment, not planning permission to build the facility.
The proposal includes process buildings, earth-covered storage magazines, ancillary buildings and associated access, parking, landscaping and drainage. The screening letter is addressed to TBG International and Ryan Hutchinson, whom the Dunfermline Press identifies as a director of the Hampshire-based company.
The Dunfermline Press reported the proposal on 12 October. Its account says ExxonMobil’s Fife Ethylene Plant stopped production in February after 40 years, with decommissioning expected to continue until early 2028.
The newspaper also distinguishes the former ethylene plant from Shell’s Natural Gas Liquids plant, which remains operational at Mossmorran. The proposed development therefore concerns the former ExxonMobil facility, rather than the whole industrial complex.
David Barratt, SNP MSP for Cowdenbeath, said, as reported by the Dunfermline Press: “A development of this nature could potentially bring investment and employment opportunities, but there will understandably also be important questions for local communities around safety, environmental impacts, transport and exactly what activities would take place on the site.”
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In comments carried by the newspaper, he said he had written to the Ministry of Defence to seek clarification about whether the proposal was connected to the UK Government’s wider plans to expand domestic munitions and energetics production. He had also contacted Fife Council’s planning department for further information.
He added: “These proposals are still at an early stage, and it is important that local communities have the opportunity to understand what is being proposed and have their views heard.”
