Norilsk Nickel is planning to launch the second stage of the large-scale environmental Sulfur program at the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (NMP) in Norilsk.
According to Stanislav Seleznev, vice president of the company for Ecology and industrial safety, noted that the first stage of the project launched in the autumn of 2023 has proven its effectiveness and corresponds to the company's estimates, as confirmed by Rosprirodnadzor.
"We plan to launch the second stage at the same plant in the autumn of 2024, taking into account the experience of operating the first stage," Seleznev said.
The implementation of the program at NMP in 2024 will reduce emissions by 45% from the base level of 2015.
The modernization of the Copper Plant as part of the Sulfur Program requires redesign due to limitations associated with equipment manufacturers. To solve the emissions problem in Norilsk, the reconstruction of the enterprise will be required, and now Norilsk Nickel specialists are looking for suitable technological solutions.
In February 2024, the company announced an update to its environmental strategy due to the increased economic burden.
"Based on this, we decided to divide the environmental strategy into two blocks – mandatory and voluntary," Seleznev said.
The mandatory part includes measures aimed at reducing the number of emergencies, the volume of emissions and harmful effects on the environment.
In total, more than 150 specific measures are projected to be put in place before 2031 with the total cost of 500 billion rubles.
The voluntary part includes such areas as waste management in terms of increasing the share of recycling; soil management; some international initiatives and standards; and climate change reduction initiatives.
The company outlined a total of 187 measures, some of which will be specified in 2024-2025, ttelegraf.ru reports.
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
