MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. The share of Russian-made equipment and technologies in implementation of the sulphuric acid neutralization project at the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant is about 75%, Nornickel’s Vice President Andrey Grachev said at the Clean Country international forum and exhibition on Wednesday.

"In the Sulphur Project at the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant, the level of replacing imported equipment is 75%," he said. "Clearly, the 25% may affect or not affect (the project’s term - TASS); it is difficult to say now. Thus, we believe we must observe our obligations. Any shift to the right, though it’s too early to speak about it, is possible. Here objective conditions may affect," he said, adding outside factors "must be taken into account, though must not be considered as overwhelming."

The project’s total cost is 300 billion rubles ($2.8 billion), where 100 billion rubles ($949 million) have been contracted already, he said.

Sulphur Program is a large-scale environmental project designed to capture and reduce dramatically sulphur dioxide emissions at the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant and the Copper Plant (both part of Nornickel’s Polar Division). The recovery of gases at Nadezhda and the establishment of acid neutralization facilities (including gypsum storage and related infrastructures) are due to be completed in 2023, at the Copper Plant - in 2025. In compliance with the project, the emissions in Norilsk in 2023 will be cut by 45%, in 2025 - by 85%.