Jinko Solar Holding Co. apologized Monday for contaminating a brook in eastern China's Zhejiang province with waste from one of its factories—pollution that set off sometimes-violent protests at the factory last week.
The Chinese solar-panel maker, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, concluded that a buildup of solid waste, which contained fluoride, spilled into a nearby brook after torrential rains, Jinko officials said, according to the transcript of an interview with local television. The local environmental-protection bureau found fluoride levels in the brook that exceeded normal limits, the company added.
"We're fully responsible for the legal consequences caused by the overlook in our management," the company said in the transcript. Jinko added that it has adopted several measures, including building more solid-waste storage, to restore the brook to its precontaminated state as early as possible.
Local residents complained last month about the deaths of a large number of fish in the brook, and Thursday more than 500 people started protesting outside the plant, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Authorities have detained 20 people for disturbing public order, sabotaging public property and theft.
Separately, a company spokeswoman said Monday that the solar plant has temporarily halted operations. Jinko makes solar components and photovoltaic panels, according to its website.
