TASS, March 21. The Sulfur Program's second industrial line at the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant in Norilsk is due to be launched in fall, Nornickel's Vice President for Ecology and Industrial Safety Stanislav Seleznev told TASS.

The Sulfur Program's first industrial line to cut sulfur dioxide emissions was launched at Nornickel's Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant in October. The program is designed to cut emissions in Norilsk Nickel's Polar Division. The program is a comprehensive upgrade of production facilities at the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant and the Copper Plant in Norilsk. This is the company's largest environmental event.

"We plan to launch the second line at the same plant in the fall of 2024, taking into account the experience of the first line operations," the company's representative said, adding the first line demonstrates its efficiency and corresponds to the stated indicators, which the national environment watchdog, Rosprirodnadzor, also confirms.

In 2022, due to the Western sanctions pressure, the company had to change some of the equipment, but the project anyway was launched, he continued. The program's implementation at the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant will cut emissions by 45% in 2024 (from the base level of 2015). Earlier, Norilsk Nickel's representatives reported difficulties with the Copper Plant's upgrade: partners, including equipment manufacturers, had refused to cooperate, and the company had to readjust the design. A comprehensive solution to the emissions problem requires the plant's upgrade, and the company has been looking for suitable technological solutions.

Changes to the company's environmental strategy

In late February, the company announced an update to its environmental strategy. According to the vice president, the strategy changes were due to the economic situation related to the current international agenda. "The root cause was the economic situation and a number of difficulties for the company in terms of product sales and logistics. The economic burden on the company had increased in many ways. Thus our decision was to break the environmental strategy into two blocks - mandatory and optional," he said.

The mandatory part covers measures to cut the number of emergencies, to cut emissions into the atmosphere and harmful effects on the environment. This block comprises more than 150 specific measures, where investments up to 2031 will make 500 billion rubles ($5.4 billion).

The optional part unites the areas like waste management in terms of building up the recycling share, the soil, some international initiatives and standards, as well as climate change, the vice president stressed. The optional part lists 187 activities, and a number of goals will be advised in 2024-2025.

About Sulfur Program

The Sulfur Program's technologies are assumed to capture at least 99% of sulfur dioxide at the main smelting units, where they will be used, and they take into account peculiarities of the Norilsk Industrial District's' ore base, the used pyrometallurgical processes, as well Norilsk's logistical limitations (a lack of external railway, a limited navigation period on the Yenisei River, the inter-navigation period where only air traffic is possible, and the Northern Sea Route's logistics). Sulfuric acid from sulfur dioxide will be further neutralized by limestone to produce gypsum.

The Norilsk Nickel Company (Nornickel) is a diversified mining and metallurgical company, the world's largest producer of palladium and high-grade nickel.