MOSCOW - November 6, 2020 - (Newswire.com)
Norilsk Nickel, the world's biggest metal and mining company, headed by Vladimir Potanin, has reiterated its commitment to environment preservation. The new five-year modernization plan presented to the Governor of the Murmansk Region, Andrey Chibis, detailed a comprehensive upgrade programme for the copper refinery in Monchegorsk, worth over US 1B (RUB 91B). The project is a part of the company's strategy to modernize and replace obsolete and unsustainable technologies.
First Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer, Sergey Dyachenko commented: "I would like to reiterate that reduction of environmental footprint remains our strategic priority, and we continue our efforts to cardinally improve the ecological situation in the regions of our operations. In the Kola division, we are planning to shut down smelting facilities by the end of this year; that should lead to a dramatic reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions. In addition, we are launching modernization of copper production, moving to a more eco-friendly technology."
The Company has already achieved material progress in the clean-up effort after the fuel spill incident in Norilsk. The contaminated soil from the area has been collected, and the rehabilitation of the damaged land and vegetation has started, continued until the first snowfalls. All of the water-fuel mixture collected from the Ambarnaya river has been pumped to a water refinery site in Norilsk and separated into industrial water and fuel. This industrial water will be used for closed-circuit technological operations.
Nornickel is actively researching the most efficient technological solutions to recycle the contaminated soil and to restore the ecosystem in close cooperation with experts and scientists. To that end, the Company has sponsored a Great Norilsk Expedition, comprised of 30 scientists from 14 leading research institutes of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences. The expedition has completed its fieldwork in the Norilsk region in the Fall, and its findings will further inform Nornickel's action plan on sustainable development. The scientists are expected to publish an independent analysis of the fuel spill impact on the environment and recommendations for most efficient rehabilitation of the disturbed area.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
MMC Norilsk Nickel is a diversified mining and metallurgical company, the world's largest producer of palladium and high-grade nickel and a major producer of platinum and copper. The company also produces cobalt, rhodium, silver, gold, iridium, ruthenium, selenium, tellurium, sulphur and other products. The production units of Norilsk Nickel Group are located at the Norilsk Industrial District, on the Kola Peninsula and Zabaykalsky Krai in Russia, as well as in Finland and South Africa.
MMC Norilsk Nickel shares are listed on the Moscow and on the Saint-Petersburg Stock Exchanges, ADRs are traded over the counter in the U.S. and on the London, Berlin and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges.
Contact: Tatyana Egorova, pr@nornik.ru
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Original Source: Norilsk Nickel Reinforces Its Commitment to Sustainable Development
