New Plymouth-built storage tanks headed for Australian fertiliser plant

The export of three massive ammonia storage tanks from New Plymouth is being heralded as evidence the Taranaki engineering sector still has a future.Built by Dialog Fitzroy for Hiringa Energy, the 35-metre long, 3.5-metre diameter, 100-tonne pressure vessels have been transported across town at night this week to Port Taranaki, before shipping to Australia.As a huge ammonia bullet approaches on State High 3 amid a blaze of flashing lights and pouring rain, its scale becomes immediately apparent.Standing more than 5m high, it's carried on a 12 axle trailer - six axles each end with an 8m spacer - and it seems to go on forever.Jarvis Miller of PTS Logistics is behind the wheel.PTS Logistics driver Jarvis Miller said navigating such a long load was challenging.RNZ / Robin Martin"The length of it is one of the key issues. It's 36m long, so that's just over a standard truck-and-a-half's length, without being able to turn in the centre."The total length of the unit is about 56m, because the average truck is about 21m."SuppliedHe is about to take the load over a bypass ramp built especially for similar transports headed out to the 'Think Big' project at Motunui in the mid-1980s."It's a bit of a greasy night, and it's all wet and slippery, so we're hooking up another truck just to give us a little more power over the climb here."All up, we're about 215 tonne, with just the main truck. One truck won't quite do it, so we've got another one on standby."The pressure vessels are on their way to Hiringa Energy's $120 million Good Earth Green Hydrogen and Ammonia project in Moree, New South Wales.Chief executive Andrew Clennet says they will be used in Australasia's first green fertiliser production plant.Hiringa CE Andrew Clennett says the partnership with Dialog Fitzroy is an example of what Taranaki firms can achieve when they work together.RNZ / Robin Martin"We have a large solar farm, we have some batteries, and obviously, the sun goes up and down, and it stores that energy and we feed it into an electrolyzer that makes hydrogen."Then we take that hydrogen and turn that, combined with nitrogen from the air, into ammonia, which is what goes into these bullets."He says the partnership with Dialog Fitzroy is a perfect example of what Taranaki companies can do on an international stage."They are out there helping us lay out all the equipment coming in, helping us tie it in... all the pipework to bring it together."Utilising all the expertise that we've developed over years of activity here in Taranaki, bringing in modules from international, and getting really good at placing and them hooking them up, and making sure that's done safely and efficiently, and it works." .Dialog Fitzroy general manager Doug Timanus says such projects are vital for retaining skilled workers in the province.Dialog Fitzroy project manager Shareece Kahukaka-Taylor and general manager Doug Timanus.RNZ / Robin Martin"It's important for Taranaki and New Zealand, as well as Dialog Fitzroy, because it's very competitive trying to do something like this in New Zealand, rather in Asia, and like Andrew said, the skillset is going out of tradespeople and apprentices, so it is really important and we've been really lucky to be involved."Meanwhile, Miller reflects on a cool cruise across town."There were a couple of corners where we turned at a 90-degree angle, but it's not only the angle, it's the change in elevation of the road, and because it is such a long load, we have to lift and lower the suspension, so it doesn't bottom out."It's a bit of fun, especially on a night like tonight, but I enjoy it. This is what I live for."The three ammonia bullets, which cost about $3 million to build, were due to be loaded onto a ship and head across the Tasman in the coming days.