INEOS Styrolution has confirmed it will be permanently closing and not restarting its styrene monomer production site in Sarnia.
The plant has been shut down since April 2024, because it was omitting extremely high levels of Benzene in Aamjiwnaang First Nation. A state of emergency was declared the same month.
Earlier reports had the company working on closing the plant by June 2026, conducting an assessment to see the logistics behind operating until that future date.
“Ultimately, the conclusion of the assessment was that temporarily restarting the site is not operationally feasible or economically justifiable,” said INEOS Styrolution’s CEO, Steve Harrington.
“We are now focused on conducting a safe, responsible, and compliant closure process and supporting our employees, contractors, customers, and partners, including offering transition support for impacted employees. I want to extend my deepest appreciation to our Sarnia team for their contributions to our business over the years.”
INEOS completed phase 2 of the benzene removal process earlier this month. In a precaution residents were given the option to evacuate for the days the removal was taking place.
The company employs approximately 80 people at its Sarnia location, in addition to a large number of contractors.
In May, Ontario’s environment ministry suspended the Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) for INEOS, citing benzene readings that “continued to be above acceptable levels.”
INEOS has maintained it never breach its emissions limit for benzene, originally calling the government’s timelines for clean-up ‘unrealistic’.
While the precise date of the site closure is yet to be determined, INEOS is working closely with all necessary parties and expects to complete the decommissioning and orderly wind-down process by early next year.