Fire Breaks Out at Elkem's Silicon Plant in Norway

Cited from:Saltenposten

A fire broke out on the afternoon of December 10 at Elkem's silicon plant located in Salten, Norway. The fire reportedly originated in a building used for storing raw materials, including highly flammable substances. Elkem has confirmed that emergency services have been activated and the fire is under control. Four employees have been injured and are currently receiving medical treatment at a local hospital. Fortunately, their injuries are not life-threatening.

Ove Sørdahl, the plant manager, emphasized that health, safety, and the environment are their top priorities. All personnel have been accounted for, and efforts are underway to track the condition of the four colleagues who were taken to the hospital. In addition, all production activities have been temporarily suspended, and Elkem is fully cooperating with the emergency rescue services.

Elkem's Salten plant is located in Sørfold municipality, Nordland county, in northern Norway. With approximately 200 employees, it is one of the largest and most modern silicon plants in the world, exporting metallurgical silicon and silicon powder globally. The plant consists of three furnaces with an annual production capacity of 128,000 tons, of which 80,000 tons are silicon.

Elkem currently operates six production sites in Norway, including Salten, Rana, Thamshavn, Bremanger, Bjolvefossen, and Kristiansand. Construction of the Salten silicon plant began in the mid-1960s, with the first electric furnace commencing operations in 1967. A second furnace was added three years later, and in 1972, the largest electric furnace for producing ferrosilicon was put into operation. Since 2020, Elkem has also established an energy recovery plant in Salten, which recovers 28% of Elkem Salten's electricity consumption, equivalent to the power usage of approximately 15,000 Norwegian households. This facility is closely integrated with the silicon production process at the Salten plant, utilizing waste heat from the silicon furnaces for power generation.