Nutrien is preparing for a maintenance turnaround.
On August 1, Nutrien will shut down for approximately 72 days for a major preventive maintenance project called a turnaround. Special Projects Manager (and Lima Rotary President!) Russ Decker likened it to a homeowner replacing a hose when it springs a leak. He says the goal at the plant is to make sure nothing ever springs a leak or fails. "We try to anticipate when we think things are going to fail, based on the metallurgy, corrosions and things and try to fix it before it happens. While the plant is shut down, Nutrien will spend $145 million replacing parts and doing enhancements that make the plant more modern and efficient; They have already spent $68 million getting ready for the turnaround. "When we bring the plant back up, two things are happening that are beneficial to the community. One, we will be operating more efficiently when we start up in October than we are today, which means we are going to consume less energy, we are also going to increase our production. And we're going to reduce our emissions, both water and air." Russ told us that Nutrien will be bringing in 1,200 extra people to perform the work. He suggests avoiding the area around the plant between 5:00 and 7:00 both morning and evening, due to the increased traffic. He says we'll hear more noise from the plant when it shuts down and when it restarts. Nutrien's Lima plant produces nitrogen, urea, nitric acid and DEF.