Operations ceased at Alaverdi copper smelter due to accident
03.04.2013,
13:22
Operations were ceased at Alaverdi copper smelter Tuesday due to an accident occurred at the plant on March 31, the press service of Valex group of companies reported.
YEREVAN, April 3. /ARKA/. Operations were ceased at Alaverdi copper smelter Tuesday due to an accident occurred at the plant on March 31, the press service of Valex group of companies reported.
On Sunday March 31 around 6pm, a 1.5-meter section of a 1.2-kilometer long chimney coverage collapsed. Consequently, the chimney shaft and the flue became less efficient as discharges were released not only from the chimney, but also from the collapsed section. Measures taken immediately after the accident helped restore the tightness and find a temporarily solution to the problem around 7:10pm.
On April 2 in the morning, the smelter operations were suspended to eliminate the effects of the accident and rehabilitate the hermeticity of the chimney shaft, according to the report.
The accident was most probably caused by the worn-out section of the shaft (it was built back in 1997), the press service said.
Construction of another chimney started in September 2012 and will be completed in about a month.
ACP closed joint stock company, member of Vallex group, was founded in August 1997 based on Alaverdi mining factory. It produces mainly copper and copper concentrates. -0-
