On March 28, Nornickel’s Vice President – State Secretary, GR Elena Bezdenezhnykh and Murmansk region governor Marina Kovtun signed the cooperation Agreement AS part of environmental campaigns conducted in Russia in 2017, namely the Year of Environmental Protection and the Year of Specially Protected Natural Areas.
The agreement is aimed at furthering environmental cooperation in Nornickel’s capital investment projects and at conserving ecosystems and natural landscapes in the Kola Peninsula.
“Environmental issues have always been our primary focus. Even before the principle of best available technology was introduced into the Environmental Protection Law, environmental requirements had been laid down in the Nornickel development strategy. The key aspects of the large-scale environmental protection program are the abatement of air emissions and effluents, along with safe waste storage. We have already achieved some progress: the Salt Effluent Recycling for Nickel Refining project in Monchegorsk is underway, which will protect the environment from being polluted by liquid waste from Kola MMC nickel production; we built an ore-briquetting shop in Zapolyarny, reducing sulfur dioxide emissions from 42,000 tons to 1,400 tons per year; Ore-Thermal Furnace 5 of the Smelting Shop in Nikel was upgraded and made compliant with up-to-date standards of not only energy conservation but also eco-efficiency,” Elena Bezdenezhnykh said.
The agreement specifically provides for the support of Nornickel for several projects of the Rybachy and Sredny Peninsulas Nature Park. The company will allocate more than 7.5 million rubles to set up ecological trails and purchase equipment for constant surveillance.
“Our patronage of nature reserves has been systematic for many years. By supporting environmental projects of the Murmansk region government, the company contributes to conserving natural landscapes in the Murmansk region so that future generations of northerners can see their unique flora and fauna,” Elena Bezdenezhnykh underlined. (Nornickel/Ukrainian metal)