Mining Experts Reveal Possible Causes Of Smelter Explosion In Morowali

Smelter ITSS (Photo: dock. Kemenperin)

Chairman of the Indonesian Mining Expert Association (Perhapi) Rizal Kasdi revealed a number of possible causes of the explosion of the PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) smelter stove in Morowali, which killed 13 people.

According to him, this smelter industry is an industry that has a very high risk because it uses high temperatures to produce nickel with a maximum temperature of 1,500 degrees Celsius.

"It's a little wrong that can cause an accident, whether it's an explosion or a fire. Then we also don't want to precede the results of work or progress being carried out by law enforcement to carry out a thorough investigation in the hope that something like this doesn't happen in the future," Rizal said in the Mining Zone quoted Thursday, January 4.

Based on the reports received, he said, there were findings of material or liquid at the bottom of this smelter stove which still had a very high temperature.

"Well, then there are also oxygen gas cylinders in the vicinity, and maybe if they cut it there is an acetylene tube. From the knowledge we learned that the fire occurred because there were three factors. The first is the presence of a fire, which was a liquid that still had a high temperature, then oxygen, and flammable materials. Well, it could cause a fire or explosion," explained Rizal.

He also mentioned that there was another possibility, namely the presence of water under the stove which could be one of the causes of the explosion.

On the other hand, he also highlighted the possibility of problems with the supervision of the ITSS smelter, but he detailed further because he did not look directly at the smelter location.

The last possible cause is the company's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which needs to be reviewed further.

"These factors may exist, but we are still waiting for the results. We also need investigations from the security forces and related agencies," concluded Rizal.

Just so you know, the smelter belonging to PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel in the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) area, Morowali, Central Sulawesi, exploded on Sunday, December 24, 2023, causing casualties.

Then, Thursday, December 28, the smelter belonging to PT Gunbuster Nickel Industri (GNI) in Morowali caught fire and was successfully extinguished without causing any casualties. However, based on records, the fire at the PT GNI smelter on Thursday was not the first time this had happened.