Mill Update - Update on 2022 Season Start

Invicta Mill and Inkerman Mill commenced yesterday and it was not the start we were looking for. CBL has been in contact with Wilmar and an update at this stage is as follows:

Invicta Mill

  • Commenced at 1.00pm but experienced a shortfall of cane delivery of approximately 3,000t due a loco breakdown which stopped bin delivery.
  • It had a reasonable run last night and should make its first sugar today.

Inkerman Mill

  • “A” train commenced at 11.21am but experienced problems with tight plates that had not bedded down properly. It also had a governor issue which has been fixed and it is now running ok.
  • There is an issue with the ID fan on the back of the boiler which is experiencing significant vibrations and it may have thrown a balanced weight. They have a 3rd party on site investigating and to fix it they will need to take the boiler offline which will entail a stop of 4 to 5 hours.
  • They are still trying to commission “B” side feeding station and are pushing through empty bins which have been derailing. They are hoping to fix this, to then test full bins maybe this afternoon.
  • If “B” side gets up and running they will run out of cane tomorrow morning.
  • They are aiming for a better loading tomorrow.
  • In regard to No 1 boiler, in their 3rd steam trial last Thursday they ended up with caustic in the water as a result of a chemical issue with softened water. The level of caustic generated was not as bad as last year and they trucked in 240t of clean water to give the whole boiler a wash. They have advised that caustic is not an issue for them now and there was no overdose on caustic like last year.
  • Based on the above, expect some more stops for Inkerman Mill in the short term to fix the ID fan, cane supply and we won’t be at full loading until they get “B” side up and running.

Kalamia Mill and Pioneer Mill

  • Wilmar advised that conditions are not conducive to a start and that they are looking to commence harvesting this Sunday and start  crushing on Monday.

Wilmar have advised that they will issue a grower update this afternoon on Inkerman Mill. We have asked that Wilmar review their communication protocols with growers to enable growers to be informed about when there are issues with factories.

CBL will provide further updates when we have furthers news to report.

 

by Michelle Andrews