FAQs
The following section provides a list of frequently asked questions about our site and answers to these questions. If you have other questions about our site that are not covered here please complete the form at the bottom of the page.
1. What is benzene and how does the Sarnia site handle this material?
The INEOS Styrolution site in Sarnia does not produce benzene. The company converts benzene, which is a by-product of gasoline production, into styrene monomer, an important base chemical that is used by many essential industries, such as construction, automotive, electronics, and medical sectors, among others.
Refineries are required to remove benzene from gasoline to make automobile emissions safer for people and the environment. It requires separate handling.
The INEOS Styrolution facility in Sarnia plays a critical role in this process by converting benzene from local refineries into a range of useful products. Without a secure system for managing this by-product, meeting the existing safety specifications, gasoline and jet fuel production would not be possible. The INEOS Sarnia site's integration into the Sarnia industrial complex highlights a long history of cooperative manufacturing.
2. Has INEOS Styrolution Sarnia met the emissions standards required of it by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MEPC) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)?
INEOS Styrolution’s Sarnia site has consistently operated within the regulatory limits set by the MECP Petrochemical Industry Standard.1 Since 2019, additional measures have been introduced at our Sarnia site to go beyond the Petrochemical Industry Standard (PCIS) for benzene. On each occasion, INEOS Styrolution has worked cooperatively with the MECP to comply with the limits specified in Provincial Officer’s Orders.2
It is concerning to see misleading and false statements about our site being non-compliant. The people who work for our Sarnia site, live in the community with their children and families. Like everyone in our business, they care deeply about our neighbours and the community in which they live.
3. How has INEOS Styrolution invested in emission reduction at its Sarnia Site?
More recently, and prior to April 2024, INEOS Styrolution invested $50 million to maintain and modernize the plant and further reduce emissions below the limits set by MECP at the time of 580 µg/m3 (0.19 parts per million) over an hour and 320 µg/m3 (0.1 parts per million) over 24 hours. Throughout this process, we have worked collaboratively with the MECP, which understood and approved our plans and timetable.
However, in April 2024 and thereafter, new limits of 90 µg/m3 (0.021 parts per million) over an hour or 30 µg/m3 (0.011 parts per million) over 24 hours were imposed retrospectively, without prior notice, consultation, justification, or adequate implementation time. This sudden regulatory change is concerning and without due process.
To illustrate: if this approach to regulation was applied to speed limits on Canada’s highways. We have been driving at 30 kph, under the speed limit for the highway. Without notice the limit is changed to 10 kph and the law is applied retrospectively to the past six months, and your license is taken away.
4. How does INEOS Styrolution work with the community to communicate the steps it is taking to reduce benzene emissions at the site?
We have regularly engaged with the Aamjiwnaang First Nation and with MECP and ECCC, where we have shared with them our emission reduction plans and investment programmes for the site. We intend to continue this engagement with these groups, along with other key stakeholders in our community. We will also share our emission reduction programme on this website.
We will post benzene monitoring data from the monitoring systems in near real-time to this site, along with the historic validated data.
5. What should I do if I am caught outside when the community alarms are triggered close to the INEOS site?
The new low levels set by the MECP and ECCC are similar, if not lower than the emissions in a gas station. However, if you do hear the alarm and feel concerned, go indoors, stay inside.
All industries, including INEOS Styrolution, are connected to the Sarnia Police Communications Centre (911) by a dedicated Chemical Valley Emergency Coordinating Organization (CVECO) radio link.
INEOS Styrolution is a proud member of BASES (CAER, SLEA, and IEC) and takes the safety of the community very seriously. If there is an incident resulting in a chemical release on site, the community will receive a notification and a shelter in place may be ordered.
For more information on Shelter in Place procedure and CAER, please visit the following link: Community Awareness (CA) - BASES Website (lambtonbases.ca)
In the event of an emergency, the BASES hotline phone number is: 226-778-4611
To provide context on emissions, consider benzene concentrations commonly found in everyday environments. Benzene is not only a byproduct of refineries; it is also present in cleaning products, vehicle emissions, and more. Vehicle emissions are a significant source of atmospheric benzene throughout the world. Studies show that concentrations around gasoline stations in Canadian cities average 439 µg/m3 over an hour in the summer and 1,383 µg/m3 over an hour in the winter.4 Everyday activities, such as using certain household cleaners, paints, and construction materials, can emit benzene at levels far exceeding the new limits placed on our facility. These examples illustrate that the newly imposed benzene limits on our site are more stringent than many common sources of benzene exposure in daily life.5
6. What is the current operating status of the INEOS Styrolution site in Sarnia?
The INEOS Styrolution site in Sarnia is currently closed and has been since April 2024, as a result of the sudden and retrospective changes in emissions regulations placed on our site. The site will remain closed until INEOS Styrolution can be sure to meet the dramatically reduced limits.
The site is an important contributor to jobs and the economy in the region and the continued production of gasoline and jet fuel within Canada.
7. How many Jobs are associated with the INEOS Sarnia plant?
80 full time employees, 20 resident contractors, >500 indirect jobs and 400 contractors at turnarounds every 4-6 years.
We are also an important part of the chemicals and refining sector in the valley and enable these businesses to operate efficiently.
8. What happens if INEOS Styrolution does not take benzene from the fuel refineries in the valley?
The INEOS Styrolution site in Sarnia does not produce benzene, which is a by-product of gasoline production. Our site plays a critical role in Sarnia by converting benzene from local refineries into styrene monomer, an important base chemical vital for many essential industries, such as construction, electronics, and medical sectors, amongst others. The site's integration into the Sarnia industrial complex exemplifies long-term cooperative manufacturing.
If the INEOS Styrolution site does not take benzene from the refineries in Sarnia, the refinery industry businesses will need to find alternative solutions which could slow the speed of their fuel production, potentially increase emissions, could send jobs outside of Canada, and increase imports, potentially pushing up prices.
9. Why do you need longer to implement the order set out by the MECP and the ECCC?
The MECP (Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks) and the ECCC (Environment and Climate Change Canada) want us to empty all benzene from the tanks. This is not something that happens every day, and as such it needs careful planning with third-party specialists. We need to establish rigorous procedures and have them assessed and approved by multiple regulatory bodies before we can proceed. We understand that the MECP and the ECCC are keen to move things forward quickly so that benzene from local businesses can once again be processed. But we are clear: safety, not speed, must be the prime consideration.
There are also lead times of more than two to three months on some of the technologies that we must implement to meet their new emission standards.
10. When do you think you will be able to restart the plant in Sarnia?
INEOS Styrolution has respectfully requested that MECP and the ECCC permit sufficient time to safely execute the necessary steps to destock the benzene on the site; we will then be able to put in place necessary abatement technology.
We remain dedicated to the health and safety of the community and its employees. We have always operated within the emissions limits set by the (MECP). Over the years those limits have been lowered, and INEOS Styrolution has invested more than $50 million at the Sarnia site to improve the production facilities and reduce benzene emissions. The site is currently closed because the MECP reduced the emissions limits by 90% suddenly and without warning. INEOS cannot open the site until it can be sure to meet those dramatically reduced limits.
11. Why have you decided to permanently close your Sarnia site by June 2026?
On June 11, 2024, we announced the difficult decision to permanently close our Sarnia site by June 2026. This business decision was made following a lengthy evaluation process and was based on the economics of the facility within a wider industry context. The production site in Sarnia is currently shut down due to recent orders from regulatory authorities that forced us to declare force majeure. INEOS Styrolution will not open the site until it can be sure to meet all of the sudden and retrospective changes in emissions regulations placed on our Sarnia site by the MECP and ECCC.