Mechel-Coke halts coke oven battery following accident

Thursday, 11 March 2010 15:01:28 (GMT+2)

Mechel, one of the leading Russian mining and steel groups, has announced that, as a result of an accident at its Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant's Mechel-Coke subsidiary, it has stopped the operation of the damaged coke oven battery, which will result in a decrease of about 900 mt in the plant's daily metallurgical coke output.

Accordingly, on March 11, at 10.20 a.m. local time, a gas explosion occurred during scheduled steam-cleaning operations carried out on a pipeline used for recycling coke gas at Mechel-Coke's coke shop No. 2. The gas pipeline in question was destroyed, while one worker was killed and another taken to hospital. Damage was caused to structures close to the pipeline.

"Repair works are planned to take about two weeks. A new production program is being prepared to minimize the negative effects of the accident to Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant's and Mechel-Coke's operations. Demand for coke from Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant's blast furnace production shop will be fully satisfied," reads the company's statement.

A special commission has been set up to investigate the causes and after-effects of the accident.

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