Forcit decided Friday to remove explosive waste-filled containers to a more secure location. Production was shut down the same afternoon to accommodate the exercise, which is expected to end next Tuesday.
The plant operators decided independently on the temporary suspension of operations.
“We planned that after this relocation of the containers that production could resume normally Wednesday morning,” said risk management head Matti Vähäpassi.
According to the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency Tukes, there are altogether between 300 and 500 waste containers on the factory premises.
Most problematic is a group of about 200 containers, which together triggered a chemical reaction and caused a mass evacuation of local residents Wednesday.
All of these containers will be moved some 600 metres from their current location in the factory yard. An alternative storage facility is being approved by Tukes for the final relocation of the receptacles.
New storage location already planned
The company began planning a new storage location last autumn, when Tukes informed officials that the waste receptacles were too close to the company warehouse.
“Following the notice there were plans to establish a new storage facility for the containers. The company had indeed set plans in train, but for one reason or another they were pushed back,” said Tukes plant and mining supervisor Päivi Rantakoski.
Officials will also clear out the production warehouse of the neighbouring explosives factory, while production will be temporarily suspended. The Kemix factory manufactures an ammonium nitrate-based emulsion used to produce explosives.
The suspended production will cut into plant revenues, as workers will not be able to fill orders.
“We will fill orders from our inventories as far as we can,” Vähäpassi said.
“We are monitoring the containers closely. We will check all of them and determine if there is anything suspicious,” he added.
So far not much is known publicly about the contents of the smoking containers, but the company said it knows the source of the troubling smoke.
“We know where it's coming from. We cannot provide public information because a preliminary investigation is underway. We have already said that there is no waste from our own operations. The containers are from some other site, from a customer, or possibly from another of our factories,” Vähäpassi declared.
Defence Forces to assist
Tukes has officially requested assistance from the Defence Force to deal with the explosive material, adding that the military will help store the waste.
“We have requested official assistance from the Defence Force. For security reasons we decided to move most of the containers,” Rantakoski explained.
It seems likely that the Defence Force will also assist with the disposal of the explosive waste. Forcit said that one of its problems has been insufficient disposal capacity to meet the current rate of waste accumulation.