AWN Consulting was appointed by Supram Ltd., part of the Servier Group, to conduct a major accident hazard assessment of a proposed bulk pharmaceutical API facility at Belview, Co. Kilkenny. The assessment was conducted in support of an application to Kilkenny County Council to construct the proposed facility.

Major accident hazards were identified and the consequences of the following scenarios was modelled and assessed:

• Thermal radiation impacts of solvent pool fire following rupture of solvent tank;
• Overpressure impacts of vapour cloud explosion solvent accidental release of solvent;
• Accidental release of toxic solvent, pool formation and toxic gas dispersion;
• Overpressure and thermal radiation impacts of LPG BLEVE and fireball following failure of storage tanks.

An assessment was completed of whether bund overtopping would occur in the event of the catastrophic failure of the tanks in the tank farm. The fraction of material that would theoretically overtop the bund was calculated.

It was concluded that the proposed development would not result in off site impacts from major accident scenarios.

Permission was granted with conditions by Kilkenny Council in 2009 and upheld by An Bord Pleanála following a third party appeal.