SANTIAGO (Reuters) -Albemarle’s La Negra lithium processing plant in Chile is operating normally, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, after a local lawmaker said authorities had opened an investigation into a recent accident there.
Jaime Araya, who represents the Antofagasta region where the plant is located, last week sent a letter to Chile’s mining regulator and labor office requesting an inspection of the site after receiving a complaint that a pipe containing acid had burst.
Araya on Tuesday told Reuters he was informed that the labor inspector’s office had opened an investigation.
A source familiar with Albemarle’s operations said such probes are standard procedure and that the plant is operating normally. A second source added that the problem affected only one tank and operations were normal.
Albemarle did not immediately respond to questions about any impact to operations.
A union leader for plant workers, Elias Torres, said he could not comment because an investigation was underway.
The labor inspector’s office said it could not provide information because the matter was under review.
(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon, Fabian Cambero and Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Alexander Villegas and Jan Harvey)
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