A separate statement from the local search and rescue agency said one worker died in the incident.
Indonesia accounts for more than half of the world’s output of nickel, but its smelting sector has been plagued by industrial accidents. An explosion in late 2023 killed 21 people in the same park and prompted an official probe. A fatal landslide last year disrupted output from QMB, which operates a high-pressure acid leach, or HPAL, plant in the park.
The administration of President Prabowo Subianto, which has expanded the role of the state in Indonesia’s sprawling commodities industry, has also homed in on Morowali. Last year the Ministry of Environment launched an audit into IMIP, seeking large fines against smelting firms alleged to have broken environmental laws. Miners are also facing massive financial penalties for operating outside of their permitted areas.
Production by HPAL plants allows the extraction of a form of nickel used in electric vehicle batteries from low-grade ore. However, the process generates high volumes of waste, which are typically dried, compacted, and stored. Experts have questioned whether the waste, known as tailings, can be safely contained in the tropical archipelago, where torrential rain and earthquakes are common.
See also: Indonesian nickel plants halt output after deadly landslide
China’s GEM Co and Tsingshan Holding Group Co, the major shareholders of QMB, didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comments during the Lunar New Year holidays.
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