Dyno Nobel seeks permit to triple emissions at ammonia plant

The Dyno Nobel ammonia plant in Waggaman, Louisiana.

An ammonia plant in Jefferson Parish is asking the state Department of Environmental Quality for permission to dramatically increase the amount of pollutants it can release into the atmosphere, saying that mechanical issues with its refrigeration system as well as excessively hot weather have caused an “unanticipated increase in pressure” in its 35,000 metric-ton storage tank.

Dyno Nobel, in the application it submitted Aug. 15 to state regulators, notes that “failure to relieve pressure from the tank via flare may cause the tank to rupture” — or explode — “posing a safety risk to both (Dyno Nobel) employees and the general public.”

Located at the Cornerstone Chemical Company’s 800-acre complex in Waggaman, Dyno Nobel’s plant has the capacity to produce up to 800,000 metric tons of ammonia each year. Much of that is transported elsewhere for use in industrial explosives or agriculture.

In a written statement, a spokesperson for Dyno Nobel said the company will “continue to operate the plant safely and ensure that it meets its operating requirements,” adding that the requested variance is a “proactive measure taken in advance of need.”

According to its application, Dyno Nobel has been working since February to resolve a “deficiency in the refrigeration system” for its ammonia storage tank. It has replaced two motors, two compressors, and a faulty temperature control valve.

At the same time, Dyno Nobel notes, the refrigeration system has been under a “significant amount of stress” due to record-breaking summer temperatures.

“The combination of these factors has caused an increase in ammonia vapor stored in the tank and thus an unanticipated increase in pressure within the storage,” Dyno Nobel wrote in its application. “To relieve the excess pressure, (Dyno Nobel) has been forced to frequently flow ammonia vapor to the ammonia storage flare, for longer periods of time than ordinarily needed.”

Dyno Nobel’s existing permit allows it to operate its ammonia flare for up to 1,500 hours per year during start-up operations. The company is seeking a five-month variance to increase that limit to 3,942 hours per year.

If approved, Dyno Nobel would have the leeway to emit up to 17.9 tons of ammonia and 48.18 tons of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere over the five-month period, up from its current limit of 4.74 tons of ammonia and 11.78 tons of nitrogen oxides.

In its application, Dyno Nobel states that approval of the variance “will not result in the maintenance of a nuisance or cause any harm or risk to public health and safety.”

However, Kimberly Terrell, a research scientist at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, said there’s “nothing in that application to support that claim.” She noted that health risks are based on the concentration of pollutants in the air, and said it’s unclear based on Dyno Nobel’s application the impact the variance will have on the amount of ammonia people living around Dyno Nobel will be breathing in.

“We don’t have enough information at this point to say that there’s not a health effect,” she said.

Jefferson Parish Council member Deano Bonano, who is working on new industrial zoning rules, called the application “concerning,” but said the parish doesn’t have personnel with the training necessary to “determine what is really contributing to the need to flare the excess ammonia.” He said the parish should contract with a firm that can “evaluate these concerns for the people of Jefferson Parish.”

Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Dyno Nobel has faced an onslaught of criticism in recent months after it admitted in March to building a $26 million, natural-gas powered boiler at its Waggaman facility without first obtaining the required permits.

A spokesperson for LDEQ said the variance request is currently under review.

Email Blake Paterson at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter, @blakepater.

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