Orica ammonia plant restart delayed for several weeks

The restart of Orica’s ammonia plant near Newcastle has been put on hold for several weeks.

The restart of Orica’s ammonia plant near Newcastle has been put on hold for several weeks.

Orica on Tuesday said it’s not satisfied with the performance of one of the compressors at the Kooragang Island ammonia plant and would not reopen the plant until it is performing properly. This could take several weeks, Orica’s Chief Executive Officer Graeme Liebelt said in a statement.

“Restarting a plant of this type involves a number of important steps and we are completing each step systematically and without compromise,” Liebelt said.

The restart process, which began on 3 January, had been progressing at a “cautious pace”, he added.

“We have kept the community updated on the restart of Kooragang Island at important stages of the process and the community’s safety remains absolutely paramount.”

The plant was shut down in August after hexavalent chromium fumes leaked near more than 70 homes in the beachside suburb of Stockton, near Newcastle. In December, the company also confirmed there was a “contained leakage” of about 3000 to 4000 litres of sulfuric acid at its Port Kembla facility, on the NSW South Coast.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has warned Orica he will close its Newcastle plant if there are any more leaks, and last week, the company once again came under fire over a delay in reporting a leak of mercury vapour at Port Botany, in Sydney’s south. The breach occurred last month.

Source: AAP NewsWire