ExxonMobil and Porsche are testing advanced biofuels and renewable, lower-carbon eFuels, as part of a new agreement to find pathways toward potential future consumer adoption. The first iteration of Esso Renewable Racing Fuel is a blend of primarily advanced biofuels specially formulated by ExxonMobil’s in-house team of scientists and engineers. The fuel will be tested in race conditions with Porsche’s high-performance motorsports engines during the 2021 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup race series.

Earlier this month (April) Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP) temporarily shut down to begin a £140 million investment project. The man in charge of the project, Maarten ten Doesschate, has already overseen numerous such projects for ExxonMobil around the globe.

ExxonMobil is collaborating with Plastic Energy on an advanced recycling project in France that will convert consumer plastic waste into raw materials for the manufacturing of virgin-quality polymers. The project is expected to be one of the largest advanced recycling plants in Europe, with an initial capacity of 25,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year.

As Mark Wentworth’s long and notable career at ExxonMobil draws to a close, most recently as the head of the corporation’s emergency Regional Response Team (RRT) in Europe Africa and the Middle East, Newsline has asked him to reflect on his many experiences. The story begins in 1979, when 16-year-old Mark first joined the company. It was the ‘winter of discontent’, the average house cost £13,650 and ‘Message in a Bottle’ by The Police was riding high in the pop charts.

In February and again earlier this month, ExxonMobil employees were invited to join a virtual presentation on mental health and wellbeing led by Dr Sade Adenekan, Lead Occupational Physician and Assistant UK MOH (Medicine & Occupational Health) Manager based at Leatherhead. It was organised in collaboration with the Leatherhead SSHE Committee as part of its Safety Talks Programme and was open to all UK staff.

Our Newport elastomers plant has launched a maintenance engineering apprenticeship scheme for the first time in its history. Response to the new initiative has been overwhelmingly positive, with more than 275 young people applying for the two roles.

Citizens Advice New Forest has thanked ExxonMobil Fawley for its contribution towards a new pilot scheme aimed at helping people to access its vital services. The charity has received £1,500 from the site to help fund an outreach service to sit alongside the Food Larder project, a community partnership that helps those on low incomes to make their money go further by reducing food shopping bills.

The ExxonMobil AES team at Newport has made the lives of the town’s rough sleeper community a little easier thanks to a donation of £1,350. The money has been used to buy two new sofas, mobile phones and supplies for The Wallich’s Newport Rough Sleeper Intervention Team.

ExxonMobil has renewed its corporate membership of the Royal Academy of Arts following a review of its sponsorship programme. This means ExxonMobil employees and their families can look forward to another year of creative inspiration and cultural experiences.

We have a bumper set of long service awards for this issue – congratulations to everyone listed! We will add the Retirements and In Memoriam sections in future once our pensions administrator has the capacity to provide these details.