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The issue of pollution control of the Norilsk Nickel metallurgical and mining company is worth special attention.
It goes without saying that the company is an industrial facility and a certain amount of emissions and waste is inevitable in the production process. However, to the credit of the company should be noted its efforts related to the reduction of pollution.
In addition, Norilsk Nickel is making efforts to solve environmental problems in the fight for environmental protection in the Krasnoyarsk region, the Arctic Zone of Russia, and wherever the production units of this company work.
And if we take into account the partnership of Norilsk Nickel with foreign companies (for example, with the Finnish company BASF regarding the recycling of batteries), then the importance of such cooperation for the environment is undeniable on a global scale.
To date, the main Russian assets of Norilsk Nickel are concentrated in the region of the Russian Arctic, on the Taimyr and Kola Peninsulas.
Asset management on the Kola Peninsula is the responsibility of the Kola Mining and Metallurgical Plant, a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel.
In Monchegorsk, the village of Nickel and Zapolyan (all this is near the border with Norway and Finland) there are processing facilities of the enterprise.
The company’s facilities in the Trans-Baikal Territory work separately – this is the Bystrinsky Mining and Processing Plant.
As for the Norilsk Nickel units abroad, they are in Finland, Australia, and even in South Africa.
We cannot but rejoice at the fact that the company recognizes its responsibility for the negative impact of industry on the environment. Moreover, the fight against pollution by Norilsk Nickel has taken a serious turn in recent years: the company spends large financial resources in order to improve the environmental situation.
Without a doubt, Norilsk Nickel informs the public about all its actions related to the protection of the environment, about all successes in the fight against emissions and pollution.
This includes, in particular:
Of course, all these actions contribute to increasing the openness of Nornickel.
Norilsk Nickel’s Environmental Policy
The concern of the company with the state of the environment is undeniable. The main directions of its environmental policy:
The results that can be achieved are quite indicative in terms of how a global industrial company can deal with environmental issues.
Talking about the struggle of Norilsk Nickel with pollution, we already mentioned above about the company’s cooperation with foreign companies, as one of the aspects of this activity.
For example, contracts were signed with the Italian company Techint Compagnia Tecnica Internazionale S.p.A., providing for the implementation of a project to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. All this fits into the Norilsk Nickel program strategy, which involves a phased reduction in air emissions.
According to analysts, the new production facilities should ensure the utilization of about 95% of sulfur dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by the Copper Plant and the Nadezhdinsk Metallurgical Plant.
Cooperation with an Italian company indicates the desire of Norilsk Nickel to implement and adhere to international standards for combating pollution and protecting the environment.
It was mentioned above about holding seminars and participation of the company in environmental conferences, as one of the aspects of its activity.
For example, there was a Norwegian-Russian seminar in Oslo, which the ecologists called a highly encouraging event for the environmental situation in Norilsk.
The seminar was directly organized by the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, Rosprirodnadzor, the Russian Ministry of Nature, the Kola Mining and Metallurgical Plant, and Norilsk Nickel.
Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Environment of Norway, the Directorate responsible for climate and pollution control, and other officials also took a direct part on the Norwegian side.
The main goal of the seminar is to achieve a basic understanding of the environmental situation on the Russian border with Norway and Finland and to develop measures to reduce emissions (Kola Mining and Metallurgical Plant and Norilsk Nickel). This, in particular, could be read on the website of Rosprirodnadzor.
Olga Podgurskaya, Deputy Head of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Sphere of Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety, spoke at the seminar and noted that “economic growth is good, but without an effective public administration system in the field of ecology it will lead to serious environmental degradation “.
The official focused on the imperfection of today’s system of state control over pollutants. In her presentation, she outlined a number of major problems that Russia has in the field of environmental regulation and pollution control:
At the seminar organized by Norilsk Nickel together with the Norwegians, Olga Podgurskaya noted that standardization in the field of environmental protection in Russia is being improved today, economic incentive measures are being introduced for business entities to introduce the most environmentally friendly, modern, affordable and cost-effective technologies. Back in 2011, the corresponding bill was prepared and at the moment all industrial enterprises should take into account the requirements of this regulatory act in their work.
At the seminar, Alexander Malyshevsky, chairman of the Public Council of Rosprirodnadzor, emphasized that emissions of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere are the main current problem that environmentalists and specialists from the Kola Mining and Metallurgical Combine are fighting.
Even before the implementation of the “sulfur project”, the state-issued special temporary permits for Norilsk Nickel and the Zapolyarny plant, which lasted 1 year, for certain amounts of sulfur dioxide emissions, which is considered the most problematic component.
For the Zapolyarnoye plant, it was 40,000 tons per year, for Norilsk Nickel – 77500 tons per year.
As a result of the seminar, all parties involved in its organization agreed on the need to continue monitoring the environment and to clarify critical loads.
The seminar decided to use the modeling methodology that is available in the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution in order to justify the emission flows. This will help to more effectively evaluate the implemented and planned environmental protection measures.
It goes without saying that such seminars and conferences were organized by Norilsk Nickel and were also held subsequently. For example, in 2012, a conference was organized in Murmansk.
Following the seminar, it was decided to visit non-governmental environmental organizations to discuss with them questions of the effectiveness of measures related to environmental protection and pollution control that the company is already implementing or plans to implement in the near future.
Independent experts note that the dialogue between the Russian and Norwegian sides regarding emissions of pollutants is a serious reason for optimism. The participation of non-governmental organizations in this process is also an important component.
By the way, in Norway, much attention is always paid to the participation of the population in solving socially important problems. The issue of ecology and environmental protection also applies here.
Of course, the mining and metallurgical complex owned by Norilsk Nickel is extremely important for the region and the whole of Russia. The activities of this enterprise are inextricably linked with the fate of hundreds of thousands of people. No wonder that Norilsk Nickel is called a city-forming enterprise.
The fight against sulfur dioxide pollution is an essential step in reducing the negative impact on the environment. This can be achieved by modernizing production at the factories in Norilsk and Zapolyarny, which the company is doing today.
Thanks to the seminar described in this article, the dialogue between Russia and Norway on resolving environmental problems was resumed.
Experts also noted the openness of the company, ready to organize and take a direct part in such conferences. The seminar in the city of Zapolyarny was marked by a visit by its participants to the briquetting workshop, which was still under construction at that time (commissioning was underway). The activities of this workshop, as originally planned, significantly contributed to the reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions.
Products of Norilsk Nickel are actively in demand not only in Russia but throughout the world. The metals produced by this company are used, inter alia, for the development of energy technologies and renewable energy sources.
Experts noted that the environmental activities of Norilsk Nickel are important for the enterprise as well as for environmental organizations, as it forms its positive image, creates a kind of model for other large industrial companies. There is someone to focus on and with whom to take an example.
Of course, this is not the only cooperation between Russia and Norway. For example, joint conferences were held and many important issues in the field of nuclear and radiation safety were resolved. In each of the areas where the two countries cooperate and work together, real progress has been achieved.
To understand how responsible Norilsk Nickel is in the fight against pollution, let’s look at the main environmental areas of this company:
All these actions are a part of the long-term strategy of Norilsk Nickel, aimed at improving the environmental situation, increasing energy efficiency, implementing various activities related to the rational use of natural resources. It is especially important to monitor the state of the fragile Arctic ecosystem.
Air protection is one of the most important issues. The main pollutants in this case are sulfur dioxide and solids.
The main activities in this area of ??activity are as follows:
Norilsk Nickel has already managed to achieve positive results in this activity.
Protecting water resources from pollution is another important task that Norilsk Nickel solves. There are different situations related to water pollution, but it is worth noting that the company is doing everything possible to minimize such risks.
In particular, measures are being taken whose purpose is to reduce wastewater discharges, as well as to reduce water consumption for industrial purposes:
Despite the fact that the emergency is not without problems, Nornickel still manages to successfully cope with the pollution of water resources.
Another area of ??activity of Norilsk Nickel related to the fight against pollution is the minimization of the industrial load on the environment.
There are special requirements and regulations for the proper management of waste, and the company makes every effort to comply with them.
The company also received state licenses that allow the collection, transportation, processing, disposal, disposal and disposal of waste. Basically, we are talking about waste 1-4 hazard class (this is about 3% of all production waste company – they are most dangerous to the environment).
It is worth noting the use of industrial waste in various fields of activity – especially in road construction and house building.
At the same time, it is not without the use of the latest environmental technologies that reduce the negative impact on the environment. Each of the projects undergoes a state environmental review.
