Cement Plant Fined for Dust Pollution

Kazakh cement plant fined 1.7 million tenge for toxic dust emissions

The regional environmental department has penalized the Aktau Cement Plant, located near the city of Temirtau, for environmental violations. Following an unscheduled inspection, officials discovered that the facility had been releasing clinker dust—a toxic byproduct of cement production—into the atmosphere without proper filtration. The substance poses serious health risks, and specialized electrostatic precipitators, designed to capture such emissions, were found to be nonoperational at the plant.

As a result, authorities held the cement plant accountable for violating regulations on the operation of pollution control equipment (Article 331 of the Administrative Code). The facility, classified as a medium-sized business, was fined 400 monthly calculation indices (MCI), equivalent to 1.7 million tenge. An environmental inspector issued a directive to rectify the violation, which remains under the department's supervision.

The Aktau Cement Plant, along with ten other industrial facilities in the Karaganda region, has implemented an automated system for monitoring harmful emissions. The system includes specialized sensors and analyzers that measure pollutant levels and transmit real-time data to the environmental department. This measure encourages compliance, pushing polluters to more rigorously maintain their filtration equipment.