Nikolay Utkin: Norilsk Nickel sets a course for creating a new technological platform

According to the company’s First Vice President, this will allow realizing the potential for production growth and will facilitate movement toward the creation of integrated enterprises.
Despite the current challenges, Norilsk Nickel has set a course for creating a new technological platform. It will allow realizing the potential for growth in copper-nickel ore production in the Norilsk industrial district to 30-32 mn tons per year by 2030 (1.5 times more compared to the current level), which requires the construction of new ore-processing facilities, development of the Norilsk industrial district’s areas.

This was stated by Nikolay Utkin, First Vice President of Norilsk Nickel, in the Federation Council at the first meeting of the Council for the Development of Siberia established at the Upper House of the Parliament.

In addition, the Norilsk Nickel top manager noted that they were moving toward the creation of vertically integrated enterprises. “As scientists say, it’s necessary to think about the ‘tailings’ of your production, where to use them. And a company’s project of this type is connected with the development of the Kolmozersky lithium deposit in the Murmansk Region where we are working jointly with Rosatom to set up the first plant in Russia for the production of nickel-containing cathode active materials for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries.”

Nikolay Utkin said that another Norilsk Nickel’s project of this type was building the plant in the Volgograd Region jointly with the Pipe Metallurgical Company for the production of hot-rolled and cold-rolled flat products made of stainless steel. “All these new production facilities are expected to solve the problems of import substitution and meet the domestic needs of our country. In addition, the implementation of this strategy will allow the company to increase tax payments by 190 bn rubles over 5 years and create more than 4.5 thousand new jobs.” At the same time, the representative of Norilsk Nickel added that the cargo turnover along the Northern Sea Route within the framework of the strategic task of developing the Arctic would increase by 1.5 mn tons compared to the current level.

Another area that should become a serious contribution of Norilsk Nickel to the environmental initiatives is the expansion in the use of palladium.
New palladium-based materials can be used in the ‘green’ energy generation (hydrogen and solar energy or biofuel) and in food industry (for the production of packaging or as catalysts for the hydrogenation of oils and fats). “On October 15, as part of the Government’s instruction on this issue, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia with the participation of the representatives of Norilsk Nickel and the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences,” the top manager of Norilsk Nickel informed.

Norilsk Nickel is a leading global producer of non-ferrous and precious metals, including nickel, copper, cobalt, palladium, platinum, and other metals with a low carbon footprint.

Over the past 10 years, the company has invested over 1.4 trillion rubles in the development of production and the implementation of investment projects.

Andrey Ershov for Rough&Polished