Mossmorran Plant Closure: Cowdenbeath Faces Job Loss Blow

Published: 21 November 2025 Friday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

On the edge of Exxon Mobil’s petrochemical plant at Mossmorran in Fife lies the struggling community of Cowdenbeath. Once a thriving mining town, it now faces mounting economic challenges, with unemployment in the area standing at 8.7%—more than double Scotland’s national average.

The community has been dealt another blow with the announcement that the Mossmorran chemical plant is set to close in February. Exxon Mobil, which stated earlier this week that there was no “competitive future” for the site, confirmed that 179 directly-employed jobs would be at risk, alongside 250 contractor roles.

On the streets of Cowdenbeath, the impact is already being felt. Peter Dunn, a 66-year-old cleaner, told the BBC: “This area is really struggling. There’s a lot of shops already closed so I think this is bad news.”

Indeed, the town’s High Street has suffered in recent years with the closure of key retailers, including Farmfoods in September and Iceland in 2023. The branch of the Bank of Scotland also closed in July, leaving several shops boarded up.

Among the businesses still operating is Stephens Bakery, which has been a local staple almost as long as the 40-year-old Mossmorran Ethylene Plant. Assistant manager Susan Marshall described the plant’s closure as “devastating.”

“We have a lot of customers from Mossmorran, and we get many orders for conferences and meetings, so this will affect our business,” she said. “This will affect not just us but the whole street. People come to the high street, not that there are many shops left for them, for their lunch, and we have our regular customers from Mossmorran. A lot of shops have shut here, and now the Mossmorran workers might have to move away from the area, but we’ll just have to cope.”

The effects extend beyond Cowdenbeath itself. Audrey Haldane, who lives three miles away in Lochgelly, noted the wider economic ripple: “It’s a shame it is closing because that’s people out of a job, and the area is already quite bad for unemployment. This will also have a knock-on effect for businesses because if there is no money in the area, then what happens to the shopping?”

Jim Paterson, owner of Kassy’s Kitchenette for 27 years, expressed cautious optimism: “We are resilient in Cowdenbeath; we will bounce back from this.”

The closure of the Mossmorran plant is more than a local business issue—it is a reflection of the economic pressures on former industrial towns in Scotland. For a community still healing from the decline of mining, the loss of hundreds of jobs is a severe challenge. Local businesses, High Street shops, and families dependent on the plant now face an uncertain future.

As the town braces for the impact, the resilience of its people is clear, but the Mossmorran closure underscores the urgent need for economic support and regeneration initiatives in Cowdenbeath and similar communities across the UK.