- The Fife Ethylene Plant completed a $170 million investment to upgrade infrastructure.
- The Acorn project aims to capture and store over 10 million metric tons of CO2 annually by 2030.
- A new enclosed ground flare at the Fife plant will be operational by the end of 2022.
- ExxonMobil is evaluating carbon capture projects in Rotterdam, Normandy, LaBarge, and Houston.
Project Expansion
ExxonMobil has signed an Expression of Interest to study storing emissions from the Fife Ethylene Plant in Mossmorran, Scotland, as part of the Acorn carbon capture and storage project. This is in addition to a previously announced Memorandum of Understanding to capture and store emissions from gas terminals at the St Fergus complex in Peterhead, Scotland.
Acorn Project Goals
The initial phase of the Acorn project aims to capture and store over 10 million metric tons of CO2 annually by 2030, potentially delivering more than half of the UK's target. When fully expanded, the project could store over 20 million metric tons of CO2 per year by the mid-2030s.
Recent Investments
The Fife Ethylene Plant recently completed a $170 million investment to upgrade key infrastructure and introduce new technologies to improve operational reliability and performance. Additionally, a new enclosed ground flare is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2022, designed to significantly reduce noise, light, and vibration, and decrease the use of the plant’s elevated flare by at least 98 percent.
Global Initiatives
ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions is evaluating several other carbon capture and storage projects globally, including in Rotterdam, Netherlands; Normandy, France; LaBarge, Wyoming; and a large-scale carbon capture and storage hub in Houston, Texas. The company holds an equity share in approximately one-fifth of global CO2 capture capacity and has captured about 40 percent of all anthropogenic CO2 worldwide.
Technological Focus
ExxonMobil's Low Carbon Solutions business focuses on commercializing low-emission technologies, particularly carbon capture from industrial activities. The business is also investing in biofuels and hydrogen to scale lower-emissions energy technologies for hard-to-decarbonize sectors.
