Mitsui Denman

Little Island, Cork

Urban Exploration

Mitsui Denman based in Little Island, Cork was a chemical company which used to manufacture electrolytic manganese dioxide, used in the production of batteries. The company was operating in Cork for 27 years but closed in September 2003 with the loss of 92 jobs. The parent company Mitsui (one of largest corporate conglomerates in the world, founded by Mitsui Takatoshi around 1650) indicated that the Cork plant was operating in an irreversible loss-making situation due to the market conditions which had changed radically in the Cork plants operating time - in the two years leading up to the factory closure there was a slow down in demand, a weaker US dollar. Mitsui also cited increased competition from the Far East and the growth of private label brands and rechargeable batteries as other factors which affected the viability of the Cork plant.

The 100-acre site contained 60 acres of constructed lagoons, the lagoons had been used to dispose of all Mitsui process sediment, in accordance with the terms of its EPA licensing agreement.

South Coast Transport as part of a joint venture Company (Thornbush Holdings) with the O Flynn Family purchased the Mitsui Denman site in December 2003 at a cost of over Euro 15 million. The site was at the time part of an ambitious restoration project named Clearwater Enterprise Park. The Restoration project, recognised as the largest restoration programme of a brownfield site to date in the south of Ireland and requiring significant investment was supposed to "enable beneficial redevelopment of the area, remove dereliction, provide visual enhancement and improve protection to the environment".

South Coast planned to construct and open an EPA-licensed construction and demolition transfer station on the site. The new facility was to go into operation at the end of 2004, creating three to four new jobs.

According to the company director, the company would use treated aggregate to restore the lagoon, making it suitable for industrial and commercial development. The lagoons have a combined capacity of 1.2 million cubic metres and would take about eight years to fill.

The company director also said that the site would provide a "much needed" outlet for construction and demolition waste, particularly given the current shortfall in licensed facilities.

The administration block, cafeteria, laboratory buildings, various maintenance sheds and a single chimney structure remain on the site. All other process plant used in the manganese processing has been demolished and removed from site.

The explorers investigated the buildings, but were not able to record the whole site due to a community of travellers taking residence at the location.

TIP: Check page 2 for something which truly astonished the explorers!