Norilsk Nickel against sulphur dioxode emissions
                     The efforts of Norilsk Nickel for 
protecting the environment
In recent years, Norilsk Nickel has achieved significant success in the fight for an 
environmentally friendly environment.
The program of Norilsk Nickel for protecting the 
environment
The company’s efforts are implementing a special environmental program that includes 
various stages and directions of activity.
Here are some of these activities whose results have a positive effect on the current state of 
the environment:
● Reconstruction of the processing plant in Talnakh, one of the districts of Norilsk;
● The closure of some production units of the Nickel Plant;
● Design of plants (at the Medniy Plant and Metallurgical Plant in Serov) that utilize 
sulfur (sulfur contained in gases from waste products is converted to sulfuric acid);
● Concentrate briquetting, which helps to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions at the Kola 
Mining and Metallurgical Plant.
● Modernization of equipment for smelting (in particular, sealing of ore-thermal 
furnaces and the methods for preparing the charge for smelting have been 
improved).
Needless to say, all of the above steps allowed the company to break out into the leaders of 
the struggle for clean ecology in the region.
Ecology and the environment: steps taken by Norilsk 
Nickel
Norilsk Nickel managed to achieve an improvement in the environmental state due to the 
closure of the stop of the Nickel Plant in 2016.
Other steps of the company related to the fight against environmental damage relate to the 
work of each of its divisions:
● Mandatory compliance with the requirements specified in legislation, international 
agreements, ISO 14001, standards developed by Norilsk Nickel for environmental 
protection.
● Minimization of emissions;
● Rational use of resources;
● Use of advanced technologies with minimal impact on the environment.
Speaking about the specifics, the mere closure of the Nickel Plant helped to reduce 
atmospheric emissions by 370,000 tons per year.
The company eliminated 600 stationary sources of pollution (of which 458 sources were 
without treatment). The volume of waste products decreased by 1 million tons per year (due 
to the reduction of processed products).
Two wastewater sources were closed - this means minus 37,000 tons per year.
Such results can definitely be called positive.
Adverse Weather Conditions Management
It should be noted that the results of the struggle of Norilsk Nickel for a clean environment 
are improving every year. All these actions are planned and calculated in advance.
The company pays a lot of attention to achieving normative indicators during adverse 
weather conditions. Also successfully. Regularly, activities related to emission control are 
carried out.
A free automatic telephone inquiry was opened for Norilsk residents (numbers 007, 420-
007), according to which it is possible to find out prognostic data (about expected adverse 
weather conditions).
The struggle for the aquatic environment: the activities 
of Norilsk Nickel  
Norilsk Nickel is actively struggling against environmental damage. Another proof of this is 
actions aimed at reducing pollution of water bodies.
The closure of the Nickel Plant and the decrease in wastewater at the Kola Mining and 
Metallurgical Combine helped reduce wastewater by 2 percent.
Thus, the company manages not to exceed the established standards for permissible 
volumes of discharges, despite the fact that a limit on the volumes of discharges of each 
substance is set in the standards.
Protecting the environment: the proper disposal of 
waste products
Speaking about the actions of Norilsk Nickel to protect the environment, it is important to 
note the successful use of waste production and its disposal. Their volumes also did not 
exceed the permissible limits.
Basically, this is the waste generated in the process of mining ore minerals. This refers to 
such types of work as:
● Crushing on crushed stone;
● The filling of worked out space in the mines;
● Backfilling of quarries;
● Construction of dams and their strengthening.
At the Kola Mining and Metallurgical Combine the section where the concentrate is 
briquetted was built where previously a firing section had been located.
Today, there are two lines of briquetting. Norilsk Nickel specialists are working on improving 
the quality of briquettes.
What is the environmental benefit of the Nornickel’s 
Electrolysis Workshop project?
In the production unit of Monchegorsk, the project “Nickel Electrolysis Workshop” is being 
implemented, which involves the electroextraction of nickel from solutions of nickel powder 
from tube furnaces previously dissolved with chlorine.
This project provides for the gradual reconstruction of the production of cathode nickel in the 
Nickel Electrolysis Workshop: the technology of electrical refining (using soluble anodes) is 
replaced by the technology of electroextraction of nickel from chlorine solutions.
The planned result of these actions is the elimination of redistribution of anode smelting and 
reduction of emissions.
From the above it is obvious that Norilsk Nickel makes every effort to ensure a good ecology
and environmental protection not only in Norilsk, but also in all regions where the company's 
production facilities are located.