Reclaim: reveal, record – Glenbrook Steel Mill

Abstract

The Glenbrook Steel Mill is one of New Zealand’s largest industrial sites currently producing 650,000 tonnes of high grade steel per year, and employing as many as 2500 permanent and temporary staff at any one time. The Steel Mills tall smoke stacks and steam clouds are a dominant and iconic feature of the Franklin District. The mill currently relies on sub-bituminous coal and lime, to turn iron-sand into steel. Research is currently underway to identify an alternative process that does not rely on coal. However to date this has not been successful. The Steel mill currently sources coal locally in Huntley but supply is rapidly running out. The Steel Mill requires 800,000 tonnes of coal per year to keep at its current output levels. My scenario puts forward the prospect that due the lack of coal it is no longer economically viable to continue the current operations at the Glenbrook Steel Mill and it has been forced to close down. An agreement between the Franklin District Council and the current mill owner, states that upon the closure of the mill the land shall be returned to its prior state and converted back into farmland. I look to provide an alternative to this proposed solution.