The equipment was installed on a tight deadline (two and a half months) amidst the ongoing production. It took some 100 people engaged on a 24/7 basis to dismantle the old equipment, install around 50 tonnes of metal structures and lay down 220 cubic metres of reinforced concrete elements. The large-size equipment (up to ca. 45 tonnes) required two cranes with a capacity of 15 and 50 tonnes.
“Since the idea came up half a year ago, we managed to have all design stages covered, equipment manufactured, and construction and installation works completed. The project is worth RUB 550 m of investment. We also have ambitious plans to upgrade the existing fine crushing unit and the Talnakh ore crushing plant. These are our next targets,” said Vladimir Zaytsev, CEO of Medvezhy Ruchey LLC.
The new crushing unit is currently at the commissioning stage to adjust automation and process parameters for ore feeding and washing. It will be in full swing by the end of November, enabling Norilsk Concentrator to reach the design capacity in 2023.
Norilsk Concentrator became part of Nornickel’s subsidiary Medvezhy Ruchey LLC in 2017. It processes all desseminated ores from the northern part of the Norilsk-1 Deposit and cupriferous ores from the Talnakhskoye and Oktyabrskoye fields to produce nickel and copper concentrates.
The facility’s key shops are its Crushing Shop, Milling-and-Flotation Shop, and Hydraulic Structures and Hydrotransport Shop. Norilsk Concentrator also has two pipelines (operational and back-up) to transport waste tailings to the Lebyazhye tailing dam.
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 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.
MMC Norilsk Nickel shares are listed on the Moscow and on the Saint-Petersburg Stock Exchanges, ADRs are accepted for trading on the Saint-Petersburg Stock Exchange.
Norilsk Nickel fully supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The company considers social responsibility and commitment to the principles of sustainable development as one of the pillars of operational efficiency and business development. Nornickel seeks to continuously improve its activities in the areas of environmental protection, human rights, health and safety, environmental impact assessment, and biodiversity preservation. The company spent RUB 221.5 billion on SDG-linked projects in 2021.
Vladimir Malakhov, Rough&Polished
