INEOS says its Sarnia plant will be closed by the end of 2025.

The company announced in June it would close Styrolutions in Sarnia by June 2025. At the time, it was facing new regulations to limit the release of benzene.

In May, a number of people in nearby Aamjiwnaang were ill after high levels of the cancer-causing agent were found in the air. That led the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks to pull the company’s certificate of approval which allowed it to operate. The order required the removal of all benzene storage from the site.

The province also ordered installation of full vapour control equipment which were later mirrored by the federal government.

Lawyers for INEOS Styrolutions filed an appeal of the MECP orders calling them “crippling.” Before the case was heard, the company announced it would close.

In early October, INEOS removed the benzene from the site – by the MCEP imposed deadline of Oct. 16 – as Aamjiwnaang moved some residents away from their homes to avoid harm.

Today, in a company news release, INEOS Styrolutions’s CEO Steve Harrington, said the company has reaffirmed its decision to close and will do it sooner than first announced.

“Since announcing the difficult decision to permanently close our Sarnia site, we have conducted an extensive assessment to determine the operational viability of restarting the site on a temporary basis. Ultimately, the conclusion of the assessment was that temporarily restarting the site is not operationally feasible or economically justifiable,” Harrington said in the news release. “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.”

The date of closure hasn’t been determined but says the decommissioning will be complete by the end of 2025 instead of June 2026.

Styrolutions said in June it was not leaving because of the benzene problems in Sarnia. Independent Commodity Intelligence Services says many styrene producers are operating at only 70 per cent capacity because of an over supply after the number of styrene plants in China – one of the biggest markets for the plastic – added significant capacity.

“I want to extend my deepest appreciation to our Sarnia team for their contributions to our business over the years,” said Harrington. Eighty people are employed at Styrolutions.