Norilsk Nickel's carbon footprint is one of the lowest among similar companies in the world; 50% of its energy is obtained from renewable sources, according to Andrey Grachev, Vice President for Federal and Regional Programs of PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel who spoke at a session named “Save the Planet. The role of the Far East" during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
The event was attended by the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation on environmental issues, ecology and transport Sergei Ivanov, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia Sergei Anoprienko, heads of the Far Eastern regions, representatives of energy companies, ecologists and experts. The parties discussed issues of economic development of the region, attracting “green” and environmentally friendly investments, and combining the efforts of businesses and the state in solving ecological problems.
“Sometimes people argue what is more important: ecology, industry or social policy? For us, these entities are equal - they are interconnected. Ecology has become an integral part of our activities. Indeed, how to separate the filters on the pipe from the production process? It is obvious that it is necessary to respect the environment, develop production, and raise the level of social policy standards,” Andrey Grachev emphasized.
The company's flagship project is the Sulfur Program, said the vice president of Norilsk Nickel. “Its goal is to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by more than 40% by the end of next year. The budget of this project is more than 300 billion rubles.”
To eliminate sites of accumulated environmental damage, the company has developed and is implementing a 10-year program with a budget of 40 billion rubles called “Clean Norilsk,” Andrey Grachev said. “We purchased equipment, created special units and with their help have already dismantled 300 abandoned buildings and cleared more than 2 million square meters of land in the Arctic. This is a territory equal in size to the Principality of Monaco.”
“In addition, we produce “green” metals - palladium for catalysts, cobalt for batteries used in electric vehicles, and together with Rosatom we will produce lithium for batteries,“ Andrey Grachev said. “The Kolmozersky project to mine lithium, which is also called “white oil,” is being developed. Thus, we will eliminate dependence on foreign lithium supplies.”
Norilsk Nickel is also engaged in biodiversity conservation projects. “Together with the Ministry of Natural Resources, we are implementing the Polar Bear Census program to control the polar bear population. We have also actively joined the program to preserve the gyrfalcon population,” said the top manager of Norilsk Nickel. According to him, all these programs are being implemented in Norilsk and the regions where the company’s divisions are located, and are aimed at reducing the actual anthropogenic impact on the environment.
Andrey Grachev also spoke at a thematic session dedicated to the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR). He spoke about the company's results and plans for using NSR. Norilsk Nickel, like NOVATEK, is one of the main users of the NSR, he noted. According to him, in 2021-2022 the company’s transportation volumes along the NSR increased by 40% compared to the same period of the previous year. “A cooperation agreement was also signed with the Ministry of Economic Development and Rosatom with forecast volumes of transportation along the NSR until 2035 amounting to 2.4 million tons annually.”
The vice president of Norilsk Nickel noted the company’s investments in port infrastructure. “Our investments in Dudinka port's infrastructure amounted to more than 7 billion rubles. The breakthrough development of Russia depends on the development of the Arctic. And the Northern Sea Route is the main factor in the development of the Arctic,” concluded Andrei Grachev.
PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel is a diversified mining and metallurgical company, the world's largest producer of palladium and high-grade nickel, and the world's leading producer of platinum, cobalt, copper and rhodium. The company also produces silver, gold, iridium, ruthenium, selenium, tellurium, sulfur among other products.
The production divisions of the Norilsk Nickel group of companies are located in Russia in the Norilsk industrial region, on the Kola Peninsula and in the Trans-Baikal Territory, as well as in Finland.
In Russia, the company's shares are admitted to trading on the Moscow and St. Petersburg stock exchanges, and its American depository receipts are admitted to trading on the St. Petersburg stock exchange.
The group's products are supplied to 37 countries in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and Americas. It is acquired by more than 400 partner companies. Its sales offices operate in Switzerland, China and the USA.
Norilsk Nickel fully supports the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For the company, adherence to the principles of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility is an integral part of efficient operations and business development. Norilsk Nickel is constantly improving its environmental protection activities, human rights protection policy, occupational safety and health, environmental impact assessment, and biodiversity conservation. The company spent 333 billion rubles on projects related to sustainable development in 2022.
