Rio Tinto remains committed to removing toxic substance

Wednesday, 15 July 2020

Rio Tinto says it remains committed to removing the ouvea premix that is being stored in a warehouse in Mataura.

Rio Tinto says it remains committed to the removal of a toxic substance from warehouses in Southland, despite the decision to close the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.

The news has been welcomed by an action group that has campaigned to have it removed from a Mataura warehouse since 2016.

Rio Tinto announced last week that it intended to close its aluminium smelter at Tiwai Point near Bluff in August 2021, with the loss of 1000 jobs.

The premix, a class six hazardous substance, is being stored in a former paper mill building at Mataura and at several other sites in Invercargill and Awarua near Bluff.

* Environment Court proceedings on ouvea premix begins

* Environmental group seeks ruling on Mataura's hazardous substance

* Rio Tinto remains committed to Southland premix removal

Laurel Turnbull of Sort Out The Dross was pleased to hear Rio Tinto remains committed to removing the ouvea premix which is stored at the closed Mataura papermill.

It produces ammonia gas if it gets wet, and in February a state of emergency was declared after floodwaters from the Mataura River threatened the Mataura building, and the town was evacuated.

That prompted a further deal to be struck to remove the premix, but Rio Tinto backed out of that deal.

A Rio Tinto spokesperson said New Zealand Aluminium Smelter remains committed to its NZ$1.75 million pledge to support the government’s plans to safely remove the ouvea premix material that Taha Asia Pacific produced out of the dross material it acquired from the smelter.

“The premix will continue to be processed at the smelter by NZAS’ dross processor, Inalco.

“Since 2016, the ownership of the material is with the Crown (the New Zealand Government), following the bankruptcy of Taha, a company that had ownership of the material and processed it into the ouvea premix. The accountability for the removal and disposal of the material is with the Gore District Council, based on an agreement they entered into in 2018.’’

News that the premix will continue to be removed from Mataura has been welcomed by Sort out the Dross spokeswoman Laurel Turnbull.

The Mataura River in flood in February, showing the closed Mataura paper mill where ouvea premix is stored.

“That’s reassuring,’’ she said.

“At least it’s going. There were two truck and trailer units there yesterday moving it out so that is good to see.’’

Gore district mayor Tracy Hicks said there was ‘’no risk’’ in terms of NZAS not meeting its obligations to remove the substance from Mataura.

“That’s not to say there’s no effort being made in getting it moved quicker, given last week’s news.’’

He said the premix was being moved out of the mill ‘’pretty steadily.’’

The smelter has already contributed $1.75 million to a six-year, $4m deal which will see all the premix moved to Tiwai Point, where it will be further processed by Inalco Processing Ltd.

The premix at Mataura is being moved first because of the significant risks posed to both the environment and people by having the premix stored next to the Mataura River.

New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited’s (NZAS) aluminium processing produces a by-product called dross, which can be subjected to an aluminium recovery and recycling process.

One of the outputs of that process is ouvea premix, which has potential use in fertiliser manufacturing and steel production.

The premix being stored in Southland was owned by Taha Asia Pacific, which went into receivership in 2016. In December the following year, liquidators formally disclaimed the premix, leaving the Government, local councils and landlords to find a solution for its disposal.

Last week, the Environmental Defence Society filed declaration proceedings in the Environment Court in Christchurch concerning the storage of ouvea premix in the former paper mill building in Mataura. The proceedings will determine whether the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter is responsible for the removal of the ouvea premix at Mataura.

Taha Asia Pacific went into liquidation in 2016, leaving 10,000 tonnes of the substance in the Mataura building and more in other buildings in Invercargill and Awarua. In December 2017 liquidators formally disclaimed the premix, leaving the Government and local councils to deal with it.