Pinova’s permanently closed chemical processing plant in Brunswick will be fully decommissioned in December 2024, the company announced Tuesday.
The plant permanently closed last summer, following a massive fire in April which prompted a local state of emergency and shelter-in-place orders.
Although there were no deaths or major injuries, more than 200 workers lost their jobs as a result of the closure.
Decommissioning of the terpene resins building where the fire broke out occurred in September. The rest of the site will be decommissioned starting in February.
“If I had to put an estimated yearly volume of money that never left the 30-mile radius here, it would be somewhere around $60 million,” Pinova director of operations Ron Kurtz said at a meeting of the Glynn County Board of Commissioners. “So, you now have this void. This void has to be filled. You have to look out for everyone in this town. Something has to happen quickly to get this revenue back in to the city.”
Pinova is weighing offers from a dozen contractors to decommission the roughly 300-acre site. A winning bid will be awarded next month.
The company plans to eventually sell the property. No timetable for the sale has been announced.
This story comes to The Current GA through a reporting partnership with GPB News, a non-profit newsroom covering the state of Georgia.