GREEN RIVER – After four years of work by many people Monday marked a historic occasion for Tata Chemicals in Green River. When the newly constructed Ventilation Shaft 7 was dedicated.
In 2008, Tata Chemicals started business in Sweetwater County at a local operation which has been mining trona in the area for nearly 60 years. At that time, Tata said it planned on investing more into the local industry. The dedication ceremony was a celebration of the first step in this major investment.
The new Ventilation Shaft 7 expansion is a $26 million investment made by Tata Chemical. This along with $25 million in added technology to reduce emissions is just the first step in what Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director R. Mukundan said is a big investment in the industry. Mukundan traveled from India to be here for the special occasion.
In business terms, when people speak about a successful quarter it usually means three months. At Tata Chemicals, when they say a big quarterly investment they are speaking in terms of 25 years. Mukundan, who ironical just started his 26th year with the company on Monday, said with the expansion is just the first steps in a long investment.
The new shaft opens nearly 1,000 miles of new rock face, effectively extending the mine’s life to at least 2025. CEO and Managing Director of Tata Chemicals North America Martin Keighley said this expansion is important because it solidifies current jobs at the Green River site.
“The dedication of Ventilation Shaft 7 is a culmination of four years of hard work and dedication on the part of our team and our partners, Shaft 7 will open nearly 1,000 miles of new rock face, effectively extending the mine’s life for a decade.”
-Martin Keighley, Managing Director, Tata Chemicals North America.
Not only does the expansion solidify current jobs, during the four year construction phase, over $10 million was put back into the local contracts. The expansion included nearly 10,000 yards of concrete. Keighley said $6 million were awarded in local contracts and it provided another $4 million in local labor.
Tata Chemicals and previous owners have been mining and processing trona ore at the Green River mine since 1968. The mine spans 55 square miles, making it one of the largest soda ash facilities in North America. This complex engineering project represents the largest capital expenditure – $26 million – by Tata Chemicals in the past 20 years. Keighley said the amount of roadways in the mine is equivalent to that of San Francisco.
Mukundan added none of this would have been possible without all its partners including DMC Mine Services, local workers and governments and the support of the state. He especially thanked the workers and everyone in the local community. He said the community and workers stood by them and helped them make it through the darker days.
Governor Matt Mead was at the dedication ceremony and said this is really a celebration for everyone including at a local level, state level, national level and on a worldwide scale.
“We are proud that one of the largest most innovative soda ash facilities in North America is located in Wyoming,” remarked Governor Mead. “Ventilation Shaft 7 is a significant project. It is a boon to the local economy and to Wyoming.”
Trona exports from Wyoming have grown over the past couple of years. Mead said he was advised recently that the Trona mines in Wyoming still have about a 2,000 year production life. This leads to many products which are made from the trona mined here in Sweetwater County. He spoke of an Illinois glass company who makes about 5 million glass bottles in a minute with all of them having Wyoming trona in them.
“I think it’s cool,” Mead said when he thinks about all those glass products and the fact they are made from materials which come from Wyoming.
The trona industry alone in Wyoming provides $18 million a year to the state but Mead said it is so much bigger. He said it benefits the state in all the products made and used, the jobs created by the industry and many other positive factors including promoting Wyoming.
During the process, the new shaft was also developed with workers safety and environmental impacts at the top of the list. Both Mukundan and Keighley spoke of a certificate presented to the companies involved in the expansion for no lost time due to injuries over the course of the expansion. The new addition also brings a new ventilation system which was created and designed specifically with miners health in mind.
While the company continues to look at the next steps, Tata executives said the key to growing is providing education to the next generation. Keighley said they have met with the University of Wyoming and continue to talk and work together to promote the science and advancing technology. He added they continue to work with universities on providing not only local internships but also global internships.
One subject which has been in the news recently is Mead’s plan to build a mega-industry complex similar to the one in Canada. Tata said they have spoke to Mead about this project and have promoted it to be located in and around Sweetwater County. Keighley and local Tata Vice President Paul Peterson said basing it around the trona industry here makes good sense and is a good fit for the project.
With all the top people speaking at the dedication, one of the most memorable speeches came from local mine Manager John Frackrell. He said he has been with the company for over 40 years and joked he has probably seen most of the 150 million tons of trona mined at the site.
Frackrell said he has worked through almost all of the different companies who have owned the mine at one time or another and said Tata is the best company he has worked for. He said they are willing to invest in the mine to make it viable for years to come. Frackrell also said Tata has done everything with the safety of the workers at the forefront. Frackrell thanked everyone, including the local Steel Workers, that made this expansion possible.
Le Bus provided transportation for those attending the event.
