PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel commissioned the first line of equipment installed at the Nadezhdinsky Metallurgical Plant as part of the Sulfur Program. The remaining lines of equipment, which have already been installed but not yet put into operation, are planned to be commissioned in 2024.
At the launch ceremony held today, the company said that the program will reduce the plant's sulfur dioxide emissions by 5.6 times. Vitaly Muravyov, director of the Nadezhdinskys plant, said at a press conference that the volume of sulfur dioxide emissions will be reduced from the current 1.1 million tons to 197,000 tons after the program reaches its design capacity.
Muravyov told reporters that the total investment in this project is more than 180 billion rubles. This amount includes the costs of an infrastructure project to develop the Mokulaevsky limestone deposit in the Talnakh region, which is used in the purification technology adopted for the “sulfur program.” At the current stage, 120 billion rubles have already been invested in the project out of the total amount.
The new technology provides for the recycling of sulfur dioxide generated from the main smelting units at the NMZ into sulfuric acid with its further neutralization using limestone.
Norilsk Nickel invests sizeable funds in the environmental program and improvement of living conditions in the territories where the company's enterprises operate. The total cost of the program is estimated at 300 billion rubles.
The total SO2 emissions at the enterprises of the Norilsk division will be reduced by 45% after the full launch of the "Sulfur Program" at the Nadezhdinsky Metallurgical Plant.
Theodor Lisovoy, Editor in Chief of the European bureau, Rough&Polished
