Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works was awarded by Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment for its active environmental protection policy. Government experts awarded MMK top marks for its large-scale environmental projects this year.
The awards ceremony took place on December 12 at the Ministry’s Federal Environmental Council in Moscow. MMK’s Director of Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Protection, Grigory Schurov, received a certificate entitled “Active company involvement in the Year of Ecology” from Artem Sidorov, the head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Use.
As part of the cooperation agreement with state bodies, MMK has successfully completed three large projects in the “Year of Ecology”, all aimed at reducing its environmental footprint:
– In March, the reconstruction of the sulfur collection units in the sinter plant was completed, with a total investment of over 4 billion rubles. Over the course of the project, in 2010-2017, the emissions reductions totaled 24,700 tons.
– In July, the reconstruction of a gas-cleaning unit in the electric-furnace melting workshop was completed, following a total investment of 1.9 billion rubles. Thanks to this, dust emissions have fallen by 1,800 tons this year.
– In July, a ventilation system for the foundry of blast furnace No. 10 was built. The cost totaled 493 million rubles and would allow for a reduction of dust emissions by 190 tons a year.
In total, PJSC MMK carried out 31 initiatives focused on air protection and 16 initiatives focused on water protection. It also processed 11.2 million tons of smelter slag through specialized plants, planted 5,000 trees and 20,000 bushes in cooperation with Magnitogorsk city administration and re-cultivated more than 20,000 square meters of disturbed land.
“From 2007 to 2017, Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works’ has invested around 20 billion rubles in environmental protection, including 4 billion rubles in 2017, which is a record level for recent years,” Grigory Schurov said at the meeting of the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Federal Environmental Council.
At the moment, the company is implementing a strategic initiative called “Clean City”, which should ensure a low level of air pollution in Magnitogorsk by 2025; bringing the complex index below 5 units.
As part of the long-term and sustainable development of the company, MMK’s strategy focuses on implementing the best available technologies in order to continually reduce and in turn prevent any harmful impact on the environment. In the period up to 2025, MMK plans to spend more than 35 billion rubles on its environmental policy. (MMK/Ukrainian metal)