Ennore gas leak: TN govt imposes Rs 5.92 cr environmental compensation for Coromandel fertiliser plant

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 4 : Tamil Nadu State government has imposed Rs 5.92 cr environmental compensation for Coromandel International Limited in Ennore responsible for the Ammonia Gas leak on December 26 last year.
The government has also directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to take legal action against the unit for non-compliance with the conditions of the consent order issued under the Air Act.
The state government has further directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to implement the recommendations of the 7-members Technical Committee, formed to look into the matter.
According to the officials, the Technical Committee after a detailed inspection and deliberation concluded that the ammonia leak had occurred from the under-sea pipeline of the Coromandel International Ltd. close to the shore.
It was also observed by the committee that significant relocation of heavy granite boulders around the pipeline due to Cyclone Michaung could have caused damage to the pipeline which resulted in the ammonia gas leakage.
The Committee has recommended that the unit shall replace the existing offshore pipeline with a new pipeline with a state-of-the-art monitoring, automatic control and accident prevention system.
"The pipeline is not properly protected at the location where it emerges out of seawater and crosses the road to reach the plant. It has to be properly secured and made not easily reachable to avoid any accidental damage," it said.
It has also said that before every pre-cooling and ammonia transfer operation, the unit shall carry out a mandatory pressure test using nitrogen gas to check the integrity of the pipeline.
Only after ensuring that the pipeline is intact and safe, should any ammonia be transferred to the pipeline, the panel said.
The panel further recommended that the unit shall provide an adequate number of ammonia sensors all around the plant near the pipeline where it crosses the Express Highway and in the villages around the plant so as to detect the ammonia in the ambient air at all wind directions and to provide early warning to the public in case of an ammonia leak.
"The unit shall also carry out onsite and off-site emergency preparedness studies by credible agencies for both Ammonium Phosphate Potash Sulphate (APPS) and ammonia storage along with off-shore pipeline facility," it said.
The technical panel further said that the unit shall carry out a safety audit of the ammonia storage tank, all other hazardous chemical storage tanks, and all hazardous chemical pipelines prior to restarting of the Ammonium Phosphate Potash Sulphate (APPS) plant by engaging a credible agency.
Notably, there are 18 recommendations made by the panel.