On June 23, an emergency situation occurred at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih due to a sudden disconnection from the external power supply. As a result, the city was covered in a cloud of black smoke, and its smell was also felt in the surrounding communities.
This was reported by the head of the Kryvyi Rih District Military Administration, Yevhen Sytnychenko.
The press service of "ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih" provided an official comment on the freelance situation with emissions:
"Today around 05:00 a.m. there was a sudden disconnection of a number of production facilities from the external power system. The producers were forced to resort to a number of crisis technological actions to preserve the production equipment, in particular the coke chemical production equipment and ensure the safety of the workers. Visual effects, unfortunately, were visible in the city. Power supply has now been restored. The situation is under control."
The company assured that they made every effort to rectify the situation as soon as possible and avoid consequences for the ecological situation in Kryvorizhzhia.
Air quality monitoring indicated a health hazard, so residents were urged to stay at home.
The Department of Ecology of the Executive Committee of the Kryvyi Rih City Council reported that as of the morning of June 23, according to the data of automated atmospheric air monitoring stations, a slight increase in the concentrations of certain pollutants, in particular PM 2.5 and PM 10 dust, ozone was recorded. As of 11:30 a.m., the concentrations of all pollutants have already returned to within the regulatory limits.
In March, EcoPolitic warned about the predicted deterioration of air quality in Kryvyi Rih due to unfavorable meteorological conditions of the II degree.