Recently, global energy and chemical giant ExxonMobil officially confirmed that it will permanently shut down its ethylene cracker in Fife, Scotland, UK, in February 2026. With an annual production capacity of 800,000 tons (some data also refer to it as 830,000 tons), this facility is the last cracker operated by the company in Europe.

This decision will leave only Ineos′ plant in Grangemouth as the sole ethylene production facility in the UK, marking a profound structural adjustment in Europe′s petrochemical industry amid cost pressures and market shifts.