Environmentalists hope that the modernization of Norilsk Nickel will benefit the environment

Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel (Norilsk Nickel) will invest over 91 billion rubles (US $ 1.16 billion) in preparing a comprehensive five-year program to modernize copper processing facilities at its site in Monchegorsk. The production site is located about 250 km from the border with Finland and 300 km from the border with Norway.

The Bellona environmental group, with 57 employees based in its head office in Oslo and three international offices in Brussels (Belgium-EU), Murmansk (Russia) and St. Petersburg (Russia), expressed confidence that the modernization of industrial production in northern Russia will benefit from clean air and water also in Norway and Finland.

“If a company invests in manufacturing to replace outdated green technologies with more modern and environmentally friendly ones, then that's always good. To assess how the ecological situation will improve, it is necessary to study the project to understand the details. How much with the help of new technologies will be eliminated those shortcomings that negatively affected nature. Including the nature of neighboring countries: Norway and Finland. We think this is the task of interested public organizations that care about the environment and human health,” the ecologists noted.

Also, as part of a comprehensive modernization program, the metallurgical shop of the Kola MMC (a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel) will undergo a major overhaul, which will minimize the company's impact on the environment. The company's strategic goal is to reduce SO2 emissions at both Kola facilities by 85% in 2021 compared to 2015.

Earlier Bellona expressed concern about the possible negative impact on the environment of the production sites of Norilsk Nickel located in the north of Russia.