Chennai, Feb 7: In response to the recent gas leak incident at Coromandel’s facility in Ennore, Tamil Nadu, the state government has directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to initiate legal action against the company under the Air Act. The directive comes after an estimated 67.6 tonnes of ammonia leaked from the company’s pipeline on December 26, 2023.
The government has imposed a fine of Rs 5.92 crore on Coromandel and has mandated several corrective measures to prevent such incidents in the future. These measures include the replacement of the offshore ammonia pipeline, making safety audit reports public, and installing ammonia sensors around nearby villages to monitor air quality.
According to findings by a technical committee, the gas leak occurred due to damage to the pipeline caused by Cyclone Michaung, which moved boulders along the sea, potentially damaging the pipeline. Despite visual inspections of the undersea pipeline on December 23, the damage went unnoticed by the company and its marine divers.
The investigation revealed that while the pipeline was designed to withstand a vapor pressure of 2kg/cm2 when not in use, safety checks were only conducted once a year, up to 6kg/cm2. The damage occurred when the vapor pressure steadily increased during the pre-cooling process, causing the pipe to give way at 3.8kg/cm2.