Chinese solar company Zhejiang Jinko, a subsidiary of JinkoSolar Holding, has suspended operations at a manufacturing facility in Haining, China, after accusations that it had dumped hazardous material into a local river from 15 September to 17 September.
Residents of the area had protested outside the facility and the local environmental protection agency is now investigating the incident. Initial enquiries suggest the river may have been contaminated by the improper storage of waste containing fluoride.
The company has said it will take all necessary steps to ensure that it complies with all environmental rules and regulations, as well as stressing that any problems uncovered will be immediately remedied. It also said expects the manufacturing plant to be operational again within the next few days. To make up for the temporary wafer-to-cell shortfall the company expects to outsource cell processing to a third party.
Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, JinkoSolar has seen its share price drop significantly from $9.04 at the market close on Friday to $6.50 at the time of writing.