Throughout the brief Arctic spring and summer, Nornickel managed to carry out an extensive clean-up of more than 1 million square metres of land in the industrial area of Norilsk. To fulfill this project, the company has purchased 121 vehicles for the specific aim of cleaning up. To date, 110 machines have already been transferred to Norilsk. Nornickel invested more than RUB 3.4 bn in the special machinery for “Clean Norilsk”. The company is strongly committed to protecting the Norilsk environment and addressing the challenges related to Norilsk pollution.
“Clean Norilsk” is a profound sanitary project that is aimed to receive over RUB 40 bn of the Nornickel’s funds throughout the upcoming decade. It was launched in April 2021. For now, the project has already engaged 27 contracted companies along with Nornickel’s Polar Division Landscaping Department. Currently, 756 company’s employees work for this Department. During several months, those engaged in “Clean Norilsk” programme cleaned the industrial territories previously littered with:
- Production litter;
- Construction and industrial debris;
- Old equipment;
- Scrap metal.
As for the specific cleaning efforts, Nornickel:
- Addressed the problem of Norilsk sulphur dioxide pollution by clearing the extensive area next to Elementary Sulphur Production Shop No.1, Pumping Station 18A, and the territory of the former venture dedicated to motor vehicles at the Nadezhda Smelter;
- Eliminated debris from the inter-pipe corridors of the major area’s networks, from the heat and power production plants No. 1 and No. 3, and from some territories with Nornickel’s mines in Talnakh;
- Dismantled 87 obsolete buildings and constructions.
Fulfillment of the project has led to extraction of 247,000 tonnes of construction and industrial waste along with 37,000 tonnes of scrap metal. Moreover, Nornickel spent its own resources to sanitise the territories cleared of the litter.
Considering that Arctic summers in Norilsk are very short, the “Clean Norilsk” programme turned out to be a success with valuable results to display. The project is to be continued through winter as well. Nornickel will focus on dilapidating outdated constructions and buildings in the Kayerkan region, at Nadezhda construction base and in the areas of Nornickel’s power division NTEK.
The company has undertaken numerous projects and activities to ensure protection of Norilsk ecology and comfort and prosperity of the local population. One of the primary goals of these efforts is to improve Norilsk public health conditions and its environmental stance. This is to be done in order to prolong Norilsk life expectancy and general well-being of its residents. Nornickel adheres to accomplishing the best practices of corporate social responsibility in the most efficient way possible. The company sticks to the leading international standards of environment and social interests protection.
Generally, in 2021, Nornickel adopted the climate change and environment strategy that covers six major areas: climate change, clean air and clean water, tailings and waste management, land restoration, and biodiversity protection. The company is going to invest tremendous resources into realisation of this strategy, including by means of the projects similar to ‘Clean Norilsk’, which have already depicted their initial fruitful achievements.
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