News & Media releases

Shell and ExxonMobil announce £350 Million Rejuvenation Project

10/04/2007

Shell U.K. Limited (Shell) and Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, (an ExxonMobil subsidiary) are pleased to announce today (10 April) the commencement of a £350 million Rejuvenation Project that will extend the life of three of their onshore installations (the St. Fergus Gas to Liquids Plant, Fife Natural Gas and Liquids Plant, and Braefoot Bay Loading Terminal) to the year 2021 and will sustain feedstock supply to the Fife Ethylene Plant.

Whilst safeguarding 300 existing jobs at these locations the project will, in addition, require a further estimated 100 contractor personnel to be recruited during the project.

The project will be a contribution towards securing energy supplies to the UK over the mid to long term, and will continue to provide facilities where Norwegian gas and liquids can be processed and distributed.

Stewart Stevenson MSP will tour the Shell St Fergus gas plant during the day and speak with staff.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown will visit Mossmorran to unveil a plaque to celebrate the commencement of the project.

Safety remains our highest priority during this project and in our operations more generally. The Rejuvenation Project highlights how Shell is continually looking for ways to improve operational excellence.

John Gallagher, Vice President Technical, Shell Exploration & Production in Europe, said: “This is a prime example of Shell meeting the energy demand of the UK for today and in the future by extending the life of existing infrastructure and investing in the import of gas supplies. Shell remains committed to the UK and we hold a key strategic position in enabling security of energy supply to the UK through our core infrastructure.”

Robert Olsen, Chairman and Production Director, ExxonMobil International Ltd, said: "This project will contribute towards diversifying the UK's energy supplies by enhancing facilities to receive Norwegian gas, will extend the life of Shell and ExxonMobil's facilities in Scotland and will help to sustain feedstock supply to our ethylene plant in Fife."

Notes to editors

“Shell Exploration & Production” is a business name under which Several “Shell” Companies operate in Europe. (Shell U.K Limited, operates in the U.K. and the U.K. sector of the North Sea on behalf of itself, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited and other co-venturers under this business name.

St Fergus Gas Plant Start up date: May 1982

Location: 65 km (40 miles) north of Aberdeen, 11km (7 miles) north of Peterhead.
Function: to remove most of the ethane and all of the propane and heavier components from the feed gases as liquids using a cryogenic process. Dry gas is delivered to National Grid, while the separated natural gas liquids are pumped through an overland pipeline to Mossmorran gas fractionation plant.

Mossmorran Start up date: May 1984
Location: 8km (5 miles) east of Dunfermline, 3km (2 miles) south-east of Cowdenbeath, 13km (8 miles) west of Kirkcaldy in Fife on the east coast of Scotland.
Function: to extract natural gasoline, ethane, propane and butane from Natural gas liquids pumped from St Fergus gas plant in a 51 cm (20inch) diameter pipeline, 222km (138 miles) long at 70bar (1015psi) design working pressure. The plant comprises three identical process units fed directly from the pipeline.

Large atmospheric pressure tanks store propane, butane and gasoline. These products supply, by underground pipeline, the Braefoot Bay deep water loading facility, where they are loaded on to tankers. Ethane is piped to feed the Fife Ethylene Plant (operated by ExxonMobil) and to the BP site at Grangemouth. We also supply approximately 5% of the total propane and butane to the Shell Gas Road Loading Terminal.

Normal average design capacity: (Total plant capacity varies with gas composition and is not the sum of component capacities).
Ethane - 3300 tonnes per day
Propane - 5100 tonnes per day
Butane - 3500 tonnes per day
Natural gasoline - 3900 tonnes per day
Throughput = 4.9 million tonnes per year

Storage capacity:
Propane - 100,000 metres cubed
Butane - 70,000 metres cubed
Natural gasoline - 60,000 metres cubed

Braefoot Bay Loading terminal
Location: 7km (4.5 miles) south of Mossmorran on the northern side of the Firth of Forth; 13km (8 miles) north-west of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Function: Deep water loading facilities for condensate/LPG tankers.
Tankers: Refrigerated propane or butane - up to 60,000 metres cubed (2.1 million feet cube)