CEO of Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) Pavel Shilyaev took part in the first organizational meeting of an environmental coordination council, created on the initiative of the head of the Chelyabinsk region, Alexei Teksler.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of the largest industrial enterprises of the Chelyabinsk region, environmental groups and experts. The primary task of the coordination council will be the development of an environmental standard. The council will include scientists, industrialists and social activists. The council will be headed by Chairman of the Russian Ecological Society Rashid Ismailov.
The head of the region noted the readiness for dialogue on the part of the leading industrial enterprises of the Chelyabinsk region.
"These issues can only be solved through the joint efforts of local authorities, industrialists and environmentalists," said MMK CEO Pavel Shilyaev. "For many years our plant has been implementing its own environmental projects, and much has already been accomplished in this regard. MMK’s contribution to improving the environment has been repeatedly noted, including by the expert community. Environmental programmes developed at MMK, in particular the Clean City strategic initiative, have become a component of national projects. But the implementation of these projects requires coordination and constructive interaction with government agencies and public organizations. I consider the creation of the coordination council to be a timely and necessary development, and hope for the fruitful cooperation of its participants."
The implementation of MMK’s Clean City initiative, developed until 2025, will reduce total emissions in Magnitogorsk by 20% and reduce emissions of the most dangerous pollutants, those designated as Class I and II, by a factor of ten. A major contribution to improving the ecology of the region was the launch in July of this year of the new high-tech sintering plant MMK No. 5, with a total investment of 30 billion roubles. Among MMK’s most promising projects are the construction of the coke furnace battery complex No. 12 and the new blast furnace No. 11.
MMK’s total expenditures on environmental initiatives in the period between 2000-2018 have exceeded 58 billion roubles.
About MMK
MMK is one of the world’s largest steel producers and a leading Russian metals company. The company’s operations in Russia include a large steel-producing unit encompassing the entire production chain, from the preparation of iron ore to downstream processing of rolled steel. MMK turns out a broad range of steel products with a predominant share of high-value-added products. In 2018, the company produced 12.7 mln tonnes of crude steel and 11.7 mln tonnes of commercial steel products. MMK Group had sales in 2018 of USD 8,214 mln and EBITDA of USD 2,418 mln.
(Ukrainian metal)