Ecologists again detected excess emissions at the Kazzinc site

The Ecology Department of the East Kazakhstan Region has completed an unscheduled inspection of the metallurgical site of Kazzinc LLP in Ust-Kamenogorsk and identified exceedances of atmospheric air emission standards. The inspection was prompted by numerous complaints from residents about air pollution in the industrial zone. The enterprise was held administratively liable and ordered to remedy the violations, reports Yk.kz.

The gist in brief

• The inspection was completed on October 1, 2026, prompted by residents' complaints about air pollution in the industrial zone.
• Laboratory tests showed exceedances of pollutant emission standards.
• According to the department, the cause was improper operation of certain gas treatment units, which meant the design efficiency of purification was not ensured.
• The enterprise was held liable under Articles 328 and 331 of the Administrative Offenses Code and issued binding orders.

What was found

The inspection concerned the Ust-Kamenogorsk metallurgical site of Kazzinc's Metallurgical Complex. Based on the results of laboratory tests, exceedances of pollutant emission standards into the atmospheric air were established. According to the department, the cause was "improper operation of certain gas treatment units": as a result, the design efficiency of off-gas purification was not ensured.

The report does not state which specific substances exceeded the standards or by how much.

What was ordered

The legal entity was held administratively liable under Articles 328 and 331 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. In addition, the enterprise was issued binding orders: to remedy the violations, ensure proper operation of the equipment, and restore the design efficiency of gas purification.

Not the first case

This is not the first violation at the same site this year. As Ustinka.kz wrote, on May 5, bag filters RFK-300 caught fire and exploded in dust collection shop No. 1 of the Ust-Kamenogorsk metallurgical site after zinc dust was shipped. There were 32 people in the area of the incident, three died. Zinc dust was released into the atmosphere, 2.8 tonnes per hour. Kazzinc was fined 60.55 million tenge under Part 1 of Article 328 of the Administrative Offenses Code, and production at the zinc plant was reduced by 50%.

According to the same publication, in the first half of 2026 the company paid 190.7 million tenge for all environmental violations. During this time, the Ecology Department of the East Kazakhstan Region conducted 27 inspections, 22 of them unscheduled, identified 42 violations and issued 21 orders. The material does not specify which particular facilities the inspections concerned.

Author's conclusion

For now, the main points are known: the violation has been confirmed by laboratory tests, the cause has been named, and orders have been issued. What is missing are the figures - the substances, the extent of the exceedances and the amount of the fine - without them the scale cannot be assessed. It is worth watching whether the enterprise complies with the orders and whether new complaints from residents appear.