Smoke prompts Xstrata Nickel to shut down smelter

UPDATED Jan. 21 at 2:02 p.m. - Xstrata Nickel stopped production at their Falconbridge smelter as a precaution at around 2:30 p.m. Jan. 21 after S02 was detected in the area of Science North.

The SO2 was detected at one of several SO2 reading stations located in the community, said company spokesperson Dominique Dionne.

She said the SO2 levels “remained well within regulatory limits.” The smelter was re-started at around 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 after SO2 levels went below minimal detection levels.

Xstrata Nickel still “cannot be certain if our smelter was the only contributor to this. What I'm telling you is what I know,” Dionne said.

Vale Inco spokesperson Steve Ball said in an e-mail that the emissions did not come from that company's operations.

One of the contributing factors could have been that the wind in the Sudbury area suddenly died during the afternoon of Jan. 21, she said.

Xstrata Nickel provided regular updates to the Ministry of the Environment and local health authorities while SO2 was still being detected.

A report about the incident will be filed to the Ministry of the Environment, she said.