Magnitogorsk refractory plant fined $600 for pollution violations
By Paul Rackstraw
Published: Friday, 30 August 2019
The leniency of a penalty for breach of environmental regulations has been criticized as part of a general failure by authorities in Russia to cut down industrial emissions.
The environmental prosecutor’s office in
Magnitogorsk, in the Chelyabinsk region of southwest Russia,
fined local company Magnitogorsk Cement-Refractory Plant the
sum of 40,000 roubles ($600*) in July for violating legislation
designed to prevent air pollution.
The company, which supplies refractory mortars, cements and
other materials, was found to have insufficient emissions
controls at the facility, and technical documentation was
discovered to be four years out of date.
Local media reports have hinted at public dissatisfaction
with the leniency of the fine, and with the wider failure to
crack down on pollution from refractories and other
manufacturing operations in Russia’s industrial
areas.
In July 2018, a four-way consortium - comprising local
steelmaker PJSC Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works,
refractories business Rusfoundryconsult,
Chelyabinsk’s Investment Development Agency and
Czech company SEEIF Ceramic - agreed to invest 680 million
roubles ($10.2 million) to build a new refractories plant in
Chelyabinsk.
Construction was scheduled to start in the second half of
2019, but so far there have been no official updates on
progress.
(Conversions made in August 2019.)