Locals ignored over Mossmorran flaring says Fife MSP – Kingdom FM – Auto Republish

A Fife MSP says more needs to be done to protect residents living near the Mossmorran power plant.

Locals have complained of sleepless nights, sore throats and skin problems as a result of what the plant operator calls “unplanned flaring”. 

Mark Ruskell says more research needs to be done to establish the health risks.

“Clearly if this plant can’t meet regulations then that’s an issue for the regulators to consider. 

“If the plant operators are serious about going forward and keeping Mossmorran running for the years to come, then they have to put in the right investment to reduce flaring down to zero to improve their environmental performance.

“We’re talking about sleeplessness, we’re talking about anxiety, we’re talking about, in particular, impacts on children and the elderly.

“The flaring incidents really have to stop but we also need to understand what the impact’s been so far and we need to put pressure on the company. 

“So far, although we’ve had some monitoring of air pollution, we haven’t had any kind of detailed research looking at the impact of noise, of light or the vibration – all those impacts that are keeping people awake and are really destroying people’s lives when these flaring incidents are taking place.”

The Scottish Government says it’s working with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, NHS Fife and Health Protection Scotland to monitor the situation.

In a letter to Mr Ruskell, Minister for Public Health, Joe Fitzpatrick said Health Protection Scotland’s analysis of data gathered by SEPA shows locals are at a low risk of being exposed to harmful pollutants.