Lynchburg, Va.-Agrium Inc. has confirmed plans to rebuild the former Royster-Clark fertilizer warehouse that was lost to fire last Jan. 13. Agrium spokeswoman Lisa Parker told Green Markets that company officials submitted plans to the city council last month that she said will undergo a technical review Jan. 6. “We will be working closely with the city to get all the necessary approvals to proceed with reconstruction,” Parker reported. “We hope to break ground in early March and have the facility constructed in September.” She didn’t provide any cost estimates, but indicated the new structure at 22,400 square feet will be significantly smaller than the building it will be replacing. She said the new plant will become the Agrium Lynchburg distribution terminal and will supply the area surrounding Lynchburg with all types of fertilizer. According to the local press, investigators were never able to conclusively determine what sparked the enormous blaze. Fire Marshall Greg Wormser said conditions at the warehouse ?Çô an aging structure that contained asbestos and housed 3,500 tons of fertilizer ?Çô made it impossible to conduct a full site assessment. “We narrowed it down to a couple of things, but because there were so many hazards there, with all the chemicals and asbestos, we couldn’t completely evaluate the scene,” Wormser told reporters. He noted that his office continues to periodically review the case file and that the investigation won’t be officially closed until at least 18 months after the fire occurred. Lynchburg was part of Royster-Clark’s network of fertilizer granulation and blending and seed-processing plants, retail farm supply centers, and distribution terminals and warehouses when the company was acquired by Agrium in 2006.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain