Steelmaker issues new statement on weekend pipe collapse before stock market opens on Tuesday
We learn more about flushing when Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks tells us on Monday that a pipe collapse over the weekend at Algoma Steel released an unknown amount of “flushing fluid” from the coke manufacturing plant. We contacted the steel manufacturer for this purpose. Liquor.
Here’s the answer we received from Laura Devoni, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Algoma:
Flushing fluid or process water is actually used to cool coke oven gas. Contains trace contaminants.
The liquor or process water (flushing water) is therefore routed to the gas mains of the coke oven.
Cools coke oven gas by spraying it into the coke oven gas main. Also, as the coke oven gas cools, trace contaminants from the coke oven gas enter the process water in the closed loop system.
When we had the incident, that treated water went above ground and into the sewer system. [Algoma Steel’s] Wastewater treatment plant. Then dilute it with more water.
The flushing fluid is treated water that contains trace amounts of contaminants. By the time it passes through the sewage treatment plant, it becomes incredibly diluted.
Algoma Steel plans to shut down its coke ovens once the new electric furnaces come online, but the conditions at the company’s coke facilities have been the subject of negative commentary in recent months.
Asked if he wanted to address this, Devoni said: “We are maintaining all of our assets.”
On Saturday, Devoni briefed stakeholders, including neighboring municipalities and First Nations, about the collapse.
She was doing it again on Monday night.
“We plan to issue an updated release in the morning before the market opens,” he said.
“We address or cover some of the environment-related issues and concerns. We also cover production-related information and the latest information and updates related to the environment.”
The company’s stock fell 52 cents, or 4.26 per cent, to close at $11.70 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday.
In other news, Pomerantz LLP, a law firm with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv and known for actively pursuing class action lawsuits, announced on Monday night that Algoma Steel Group’s investment It said it was investigating the claim on behalf of the family. .
“The investigation concerns whether Algoma and certain of its officers and directors engaged in securities fraud or other illegal business practices,” the company said in a news release.
None of these allegations related to the weekend pipe collapse have been tested in court, and Algoma Steel is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
