Nornickel reports first results of its Sulphur Programme

The Sulphur Programme in Norilsk is starting to deliver on its promises, as sulphur dioxide emissions from Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (NMP) are gradually decreasing. The efficiency of the first processing line is exceeding targets, coming in at 99.6%.

From the launch in October 2023 until the end of March 2024, over 40 kt of sulphur dioxide from off-gases was disposed of at NMP. These results have been verified by the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor): Galina Velyuzhinets, Head of Industrial Ecology at Nornickel's Polar Branch, said that the State Centre of Laboratory Analysis and Technical Metrology for the Siberian Federal District confirmed accuracy of the reported results and the high efficiency (99.6%) of the first processing line.

"40 kt is a significant figure for process gases. These are the targets we set for the initial phase, understanding that this is a process testing period in which we perform individual checks for each production unit and seek to ensure smooth operation of the entire line," commented Galina Velyuzhinets. According to her, 55 kt of sulphuric acid was extracted over this period as a by-product of process gases, with some 80 kt of gypsum

produced afterwards as a result of acid neutralisation.

By the end of 2024, NMP aims to launch comprehensive testing of the second and third processing lines under the Sulphur Programme. Maxim Pedanov, Chief Engineer of the plant, said that nearly 400 employees of the Company and over 1,500 contractors' workers are currently involved in the project.

According to him, the distinctive feature of the project is that it has the equipment of all the three lines housed in the same buildings, which enables the Company to carry out comprehensive testing of the first line and complete construction and installation works on the other two lines simultaneously. Lessons learned from the launch of the first line are applied to the other two, with operations running more efficiently as a result.

"The achieved results indicate a positive trend in the performance of the Sulphur Programme's first processing line at NMP and suggest steady progress towards environmental improvements. These results are in line with the project targets. Emissions in Norilsk are expected to decrease by 20% as early as this year. This will contribute to the key objective of the Clean Air federal project designed to significantly improve air quality in 12 major industrial cities, including Norilsk," commented Stanislav Seleznev, Vice President for Ecology and Industrial Safety at Nornickel.

For reference

The first phase of Nornickel's flagship project commenced on 25 October 2023 at Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (NMP). The environmental project was launched even though the Government was considering its postponement until 2026. It will help reduce emissions by 20% as early as this year. Once all the three lines are up and running, emissions will decrease by over 400 kt. When the project reaches its design capacity in 2025-2026, reduction in emissions across Polar Division will amount to 45% or more than 900 kt compared to the baseline year of 2017.

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