Yara Porsgrunn a vital 75-year-old with good prospects for the future

Tormod Dahl-Pettersen and Tormod Gjestland

(2004-06-02) At exactly 2400 hours on May 31, the fruit champagne started flowing in the control room of the Calcium nitrate plant at Herøya. Employees and guests were gathering there to celebrate 75 years of progress and prosperity for the fertilizer production at Herøya. For Tormod Dahl-Pettersen, retired Hydro employee, the day was even more special. He was actually recruited as a Hydro employee at the time the first Calcium nitrate was produced.

In addition to the group of people primarily involved in the festivities, employees and management of the CN plant, both internal and external media were present to cover this memorable moment. Tormod Dahl-Pettersen was not the only person around with a link to the origins of the Herøya industrial era. Gudleif Gjestland, the son of Tormod Gjestland, who headed the construction team of the Calcium nitrat plant and later became the first plant manager at Herøya, was also present. Tormod Dahl-Pettersen, 97 years old, started what was to become a lifelong employment with Hydro on May 25,1929, five days before the start of the CN plant. The two gentlemen merrily lifted their glasses and shared a number of stories from the ”good old days” with those present.

Start of production at Herøya
On May 31, 1929, after a construction period lasting 18 months, the plant management pressed the start button. A few hours later, at 02.10 hours in the morning of June 1, the frist product appeared. This marked the start of regular operation of a site that was to become the biggest employer in the country. According to the Herøya annals, the start of production was duly marked. When production was running smoothly, the men wiped sweat off their foreheads and went to the canteen to enjoy a pilsener beer. In keeping with what was customary in those days. Today, 75 years later, the alcohol-free beverage served did not in any way diminish the joy and satisfaction of those present

Jan Petter Fossum

Midnight event
In an attempt to recreate the ambiance from 1929, Yara Porsgrunn decided to organize the celebration at midnight. This created a very special atmosphere in the control room. Long time Hydro employee Dag Wilhelm Holmer welcomed the guests, giving a short run through of the history of fertilizer production at Herøya. Tormod Dahl-Pettersen and Gudleif Gjestland shared their memories of the first operating years of the installations. Jan Petter Fossum, plant manager of Yara Porsgrunn, focused on Hydro’s decision to start production at Herøya and how it had affected the whole area. – The factory was a sensation in 1929 and has in no way lost its position and importance to the district in the years gone by since then.

	Porsgrunn site