Bryan County leaders and residents respond to possibility of Nickel refinery

BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) — Bryan County residents are using social media to voice concerns about a proposed nickel refinery in their area, with competing petitions showing divided community opinion on the Westwin Elements project.

A petition against the facility has gained 2,746 signatures, while a petition in favor has more than 3,000 signatures from residents.

Many opponents say environmental risks outweigh potential job benefits.

“This is my home. This is not a test facility,” said Amber Pindell, a Richmond Hill resident.

District Supervisor Jordan Given posted on Facebook that he shares residents’ concerns and does not support the project.

The Bryan County Board of Commissioners said in a statement that “if and when a request is made to the Bryan County Board of Commissioners, the board of commissioners will consider all information in evaluating the request, including, most specifically, its impact on public health, safety, and the environment.”

Read the full statement here:

Pindell said her main concern is the company’s limited experience, having built its first facility in 2023. She said she researched the refinery and spoke with Oklahoma residents where the first facility was built.

“The opportunities for mistakes to happen and the effects of those mistakes highly outweigh anything that they can bring to this area,” Pindell said.

Company defends safety record and mission

Westwin Elements CEO Kaleigh Long said the company prioritizes safety.

“The main hazardous chemical that we use, its nickel carbonyl, it is hazardous, but in 120 years that has never been released and impacted a community. So there is a long-standing precedent to operate this safely,” Long said.

Long said the company aims to restore opportunities for blue collar workers, paying an average worker 90,000 dollars.

“I’m telling you, if Westwind doesn’t come there, I think somebody else will. And a very unique thing about Westwind is we are Americans, for Americans, and by Americans,” Long said.

Long said the refinery would move into the abandoned Caesar Stone facility and clean up environmental concerns at the site.

“It needs to be remediated, we conducted environmental studies on it, and there is a major presence of silica dusts,” Long said.

Long said her company has been audited by multiple third-party agencies, including one sponsored by the Bryan County Development Authority.

“In the core process again there’s no solid or liquid waste streams, this process, even though it may be more expensive to build, is much more is the most environmentally compliant process compared to the other nickel processing technologies, which can produce massive amounts of waste streams,” Long said.

Pindell said she was approached about the pro-refinery petition but was only told the company would bring jobs paying more than $90 thousand to the Richmond Hill area, with no other company information provided.

“We all want opportunities for our children and for our grandchildren, but at the cost of our health, potentially. And, you know, by a company that really is, for lack of a better term, a fly-by-night company, I have to say a firm no,” she said.

A town hall meeting is scheduled for Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. at Richmond Hill City Center, where Long will attend to answer questions and present company data to residents.

The facility would not involve mining on the property, instead focusing on polishing and finishing nickel units, according to the company.

The company currently operates a smaller facility in Oklahoma with similar operations. The proposed Bryan County refinery would use water for cooling and recycle most materials, with minimal wastewater shipped off-site to traditional disposal facilities.

Westwin Elements would operate a refinery that polishes and finishes nickel through a vaporization process conducted in a sealed, closed environment designed to produce no odor or noise. Long said the facility would have seven layers of containment systems as safety measures in case of natural disasters, noting that if the chemicals were exposed to air, they become highly toxic and can cause cancer according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.