Need to know
Essar, which has operated the UK’s second largest refinery since 2013, pleaded guilty to 12 charges brought by the Environment Agency
Stanlow Oil Refinery, Ellesmere Port. (Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Everything you need to know
- The Stanlow Oil Refinery in Ellesmere Port breached environmental regulations 491 times between 2018 and 2020.
- Owners Essar pleaded guilty to 12 charges brought by the Environment Agency at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, March 11.
- The breaches involved the release of chemicals and by-products, including cyanide and phenol, into local waterways such as the Manchester Ship Canal, the River Gowy, and Thornton Brook.
- In addition to the chemicals, the refinery exceeded permitted limits for oil, grease, and non-dissolved solids 435 times during the two-year period.
- Specific incidents included the dumping of 15 tonnes of di-isopropanolamine into the Manchester Ship Canal due to a failure to follow management procedures, and the release of 15 tonnes of partially treated effluent.
- The UK Health Security Agency notes phenol can be absorbed quickly by the body, potentially causing nausea, heart problems, and, in severe cases, organ damage or death.
- Essar apologised for the “historic” breaches and stated it has since invested £24 million to reroute wastewater to a treatment works to prevent future occurrences.
Read the full story here.
