NLMK Group, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment of the Russian Federation, the Federal Supervisory Natural Resources Management Service (Rosprirodnadzor) and the Administration of the Lipetsk region have signed a four-way Cooperation Agreement in sustainable development. The Agreement, which forms part of the National Ecology Project, was signed by Grigory Fedorishin, NLMK Group President and CEO, Svetlana Radionova, Head of Rosprirodnadzor, Denis Khramov, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, and Igor Artamonov, Acting Head of the Administration of the Lipetsk region.
The signing ceremony was hosted on the sidelines of the 17th International Steel Summit, supported by the Russian Steel Association. This year, the Summit travels outside of Moscow for the first time since 2003, to the steelmaking region of Lipetsk, the home of NLMK Group’s flagship production site.
The Agreement calls for a consolidated effort by the parties to efficiently address sustainability challenges.
Svetlana Radionova, Head of Rosprirodnadzor, said: “Business-government cooperation to achieve the environmental goals set by the country’s leadership is not a formality. Projects are successfully on track. This agreement will kick-start the Federal Clean Air Project. This is the first case of a public-private partnership in Russia aimed at improving the quality of the environment through cutting emissions.”
Under the agreement, NLMK Group will implement a number of upgrade and new construction projects. The document also sets targets to reduce gross air emissions and emissions of specific substances monitored by Rosprirodnadzor. Total investment in such projects will exceed 110 billion rubles until 2023, including around 20 billion rubles towards environmental protection equipment.
Grigory Fedorishin, NLMK Group President and CEO, said: “NLMK is guided by the principle of achieving the best available technology (BAT) level in executing its upgrade projects. BAT implies the most efficient equipment and technical solutions that ensure a reduced environmental footprint. NLMK Group has invested more than $1 billion in environmental projects since 2000. This enabled us to cut gross emissions by 23% to achieve the Russian BAT level, while growing production by 60%. The goal for the next five years is to reach the EU BAT level.” (NLMK/Ukrainian metal)