Penrice Soda Products


Penrice Soda Products was a company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, named after its quarry near the small town of Penrice, South Australia. It was placed in liquidation in August 2014.

History

Penrice Soda Products was founded by ICI in 1935. It was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2005. It was placed in liquidation in August 2014.

Operations

In addition to its large limestone and marble quarry just north of Angaston, it had a number of other establishments in South Australia, including the only soda ash production facility in Australia, located on the Port River in the north-western Adelaide suburb of Osborne. On 24 June 2014, Penrice Soda Products announced that it would be closing its Osborne plant.

Transport

Penrice Soda Products was the last company in South Australia to use the broad gauge rail network in South Australia with Genesee & Wyoming Australia operating the Penrice Stone Train from the Penrice Quarry on the Barossa Valley line to Penrice Soda Products' soda ash factory in Osborne. It ceased operating in June 2014 when the Osborne factory closed.

Soda ash plant

The company's Soda Ash plant at Osborne used steam from the Osborne Power Station, making that establishment Australia's biggest cogeneration facility.
The Soda Ash plant also used salt from the St Kilda lagoons which was harvested in autumn and piped as a saturated brine solution across the Port River to the plant.