Chinalco’s subsidiary Chihong Zinc and Germanium halted production at its Hulun Buir plant in Inner Mongolia after a gas leak incident killed three employees.
The incident occurred due to leakage of toxic gas (carbon monoxide) during equipment inspection on Aug 16. Provisional emergency management authorities have ordered the company to stop on-site production and operations at the plant and train employees on handling leakages and emergency response, besides implementing accident prevention measures.
Hulun Buir’s emergency bureau will inspect the site with industry experts before the start of operations. The plant’s monthly production is around 10,000mt zinc ingots, and its annual installed capacity is around 200,000mt. The plant engages in smelting and deep processing of non-ferrous and non-metallic minerals.