BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The Pinova chemical plant in Brunswick that went up in flames earlier this year will be decommissioned one year from now.
The plant officially shut down in June, months after a massive fire in April that burned for hours.
Pinova outlined its decommissioning plans at a Glynn County commission meeting Tuesday night, saying the effort will take time.
Pinova said the overall goal is to redevelop the property so it can be of some value to people who live in Glynn County.
The fire started around 7 a.m. and was contained around 10 a.m., then it reignited around 3 p.m. that afternoon.
The massive fire caused voluntary evacuation orders for some residents who were within a 1/2 mile radius of the plant — and a shelter-in-place order for the entire town that day.
The response was massive and included 13 different fire and emergency management agencies, three law enforcement agencies to help with traffic and logistical support, and Georgia Forestry, which air-dropped fire suppressant over the site.
A definitive cause was never determined.
The facility produced wood resin, which is used in adhesives and is highly flammable.
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Pinova’s senior director of operations, Ron Kurtz, said the fire and aftermath was a tough blow to that area’s economy.
“We are creating a financial void in the area. You have to realize we have had a lot of salaries going in here. We have had a lot of contractors and all of that,” Kurtz said.
The decommissioning process began in September with the building where the fire started. Last month, the company received 12 bids from potential buyers of the property. Pinova will award a bid in January.
Once that happens, Pinova will begin decommissioning the rest of the 300-acre site.
All of the buildings will be removed by August, and decommissioning will be done by December.
Kurtz said the priority is helping the county bounce back from this.
“If I had to put an estimated yearly volume of money that never left the 30-mile radius here, it would be somewhere around $60 million. So now you have this void. This void has to be filled. We have to look out for everyone in this county,” Kurtz said.
There is not a definitive plan of what that property is going to be used for in the future but officials hope it will generate a lot of jobs or opportunities for people.
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