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MAJOR WORK: The pelletising plant at the Whyalla steelworks. Picture: John Murray
SIMEC Mining has advised Council of a planned shutdown for its pelletising plant at the Whyalla steelworks starting this weekend.
The company has asked Council to help distribute information about the planned shutdown, and consequent work at the plant, to the community.
The following is the statement from SIMEC:
SIMEC Mining is continuing to invest in the future of its operations by undertaking a planned major shutdown of its Pelletising plant.
Aimed at improving the performance of the plant and reducing dust emissions, the work will commence on Saturday 20 October and is expected to take several weeks to complete.
The scheduled shutdown – which involves more than 450 contractors and employees – will allow major work to be undertaken in normally inaccessible areas due to the plant being down long enough to cool.
The purpose of the work is to continue to improve plant reliability and production performance, as well as undertake upgrades to reduce dust emissions from the pelletising process.
Although the work will improve the performance of the plant over the longer term, unfortunately during the duration of the shutdown it could also result in:
- Increased emissions from the Pelletising plant when it first shuts down, and again on restart
- The potential for an increase in noise from mobile equipment, including at night
As always, SIMEC Mining is committed to working with residents to minimise impacts on the community from its operations, and appreciates feedback in these areas to assist in its continual improvement.
If any residents would like any further information, or have any feedback or concerns regarding this work, please contact Community and Stakeholder Engagement Advisor, Denise Sharp, on 0447 039 358 or 8640 4418.