Hydro PVC plant in release-to-air incident after power failure

Newton Aycliffe, UK -- Hydro Polymers has reported the release to air of some semi processed PVC from a reaction vessel at its the Newton Aycliffe plant in the north east of England. The incident, which happened at 19.15 on Tuesday 3 July, was due to a loss of power from outside the facility, the company said.

The release was a planned safety procedure, which was triggered automatically as part of a standard emergency response to power failure. The plant returned to normal operation after the power supply was restored at 10.30 pm, the company said.

According to Hydro, there was no danger to local residents or the plant’s 400 employees during the incident. The company added that it had launched an investigation into the loss of power and notified the relevant authorities.

Hydro’s Newton Aycliffe plant is one of only two PVC plants in the UK and is one of the most modern such operations in the world. It has a capacity to produce 245 ktpa of suspension PVC and 125 ktpa of PVC compound and generates annual sales of £150 million.