Tringen to shut down for December

A reduction in the supply of natural gas has led to the shutdown of the jointly owned ammonia plant, the Tringen 1.

Management told staff in a letter that for the month of December there would be a significant reduction in gas supply owing to the shutdown of an upstream gas supplier. Workers were told that despite the company's best efforts to secure more gas, it was unable to do so.

“This prevailing situation has left us with no choice but to shut down the Tringen1 plant for the entire month,” the letter said.

Tringen will use the time to address contingency jobs on the plant, including the repair of exchanger bundles, and the roster will be adjusted to meet the workload. The company will also arrange for longer vacation periods where possible. Staff were also told the roster will be adjusted

Tringen is a joint venture between Government through National Enterprises Ltd and Yara Enterprises. In July, it was announced that the plant would have to shut down owing to market conditions, but the closure was deferred to take advantage of new opportunities for export.

Yara, which owns 49 per cent of the plant, has its own troubles, as it closed down one plant in 2019, and in November, between 25 and 30 workers who were kept on the payroll were expected to be retrenched. Officials of the Oilfield Workers' Trade Union are currently negotiating the terms of their employment.

Tringen 1 will be the ninth plant shut down for the year.