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CICCC Update—10 April 2008 Meeting
Carlo Fasolino (State Manager) and Peter La Rose (Operations Manager) provided a summary of recent improvements undertaken at the Coode Island facility.
Truck Filling from Plant B
The first truck to use the new Plant B Bottom loading gantry was loaded in March 2008. This represents a milestone in the refurbishment of the truck loading bay. Bottom loading removes the likelihood of operator injury while climbing up to the top of the road tanker for the older top loading process. There are now only six products remaining to be retro-fitted for bottom loading at the truck filling station.
Fertiliser Storage
Three second-hand tanks will be installed and extensively upgraded. The product to be stored is a mixture of urea, ammonia and water. This composition, with about 50% water, makes the product useless as an explosive precursor, overcoming past problems resulting from international terrorist use of ammonium nitrate. The tanks will hold 900, 900 and 2500 cubic metres respectively. Two shipments a year of product are anticipated.
New weighbridge
The new weighbridge near the Plant B Truck filling station has been completed and is operational. It is large enough to accommodate B-Doubles. While it cost $383,000 to build, it allows an accurate inventory to be maintained, and cuts out the extra travel incurred by trucks going to and from the Footscray Market Weighbridge.
Nitrogen generation on site
The Nitrogen Generator has been installed at a cost of $301,000. About 66% of the nitrogen used at the facility will be generated by the new equipment. Extra nitrogen will still have to be purchased to supplement the generator when there are large demands. Whereas previously there were three or four 20-tonne trucks delivering nitrogen per week, now only one truck per fortnight is anticipated, on average.
Combustion of some liquid wastes
Following EPA approval, certain suitable liquid wastes (generally organic waste washing water) are now being incinerated in the combustors. While the cost of the necessary pipework and fittings was $220,000 there has been a saving of the cost of disposing of the material at the Sydney liquid waste facility , the saving being both transport costs and processing costs at the plant.
Security camera upgrade
The security camera system has been upgraded at the facility, at a cost of $322,000. Now the camera output is linked to movement detector alarms, and if any movement is detected, an alarm alerts the off-site security firm. Where visual review shows any suspicious circumstance, the security firm takes action, including alerting Terminals staff. The annual cost of $180,000 per year for a security guard has been saved, and the surveillance system is more reliable than before.
Next meeting of the CICCC
The next meeting of the CICCC will be held on Thursday 12 June 2008 at the Maribyrnong Town Hall on the corner of Hyde and Napier Streets, Footscray at 6.30 pm. Any interested member of the community is welcome to attend the CICCC meetings.
Robin Saunders, Chair CICCC, 16 April 2008