Tailings and waste
Sustainable waste management
GRI 306‑1, 306‑2, SASB EM‑MM‑ 150a.10, EM‑MM‑540a.2
In line with top‑priority national goals in waste management, Nornickel seeks to manage waste in a safe way by minimising waste disposal and increasing recycling and reuse as stated in its Environmental and Climate Change Strategy.
We handle waste in accordance with Russian laws which, among other things, require that we maintain records of waste generated, treated, recovered, neutralised, transferred to or received from third parties, and disposed of; these records are aggregated on a quarterly and annual basis.
The Company monitors management of waste throughout its entire life cycle, including waste management by third parties. Contracts for further waste management are made with third parties possessing all necessary permits, licences, state expert conclusions, technical regulations, and specifications.
From 1 January 2023, Nornickel introduced environmental protection requirements for contractors obliging them to abide by relevant standards established both by the government and the Company. The document envisages ongoing contractor monitoring and sanctions for violating the requirements and damaging the environment. Special attention is paid to amended laws on waste management, use and protection of water resources, and environmental requirements with respect to capital construction projects and their registration.
Waste categorisation
Nornickel operations generate hazard class 1‑5 waste.
A 6.6% increase in waste generation from 166 mt in 2022 to 177 mt im 2023 is associated with the development of the new Mokulaevskoye limestone deposit.
Contribution to combating contamination with waste
GRI 306‑2, 306‑4
To foster non‑waste production, Nornickel takes the following steps:
- develops and applies in‑house waste recovery techniques;
- makes efforts to clean up the existing pollution.
Recovery provides for the economic utilisation of waste and reduction of landfill disposal, which helps minimise adverse environmental impact.
Clean Norilsk programme
Our large‑scale effort to clean up and revamp industrial territories as a way to improve environment in the Norilsk Industrial District and the Arctic, and restore affected and used land to the condition required by environmental, sanitary and epidemiological standards continued in 2023.
The 10‑year programme is implemented in stages due to a large scope of works, seasonality, and significant distance between to‑be cleaned areas and disposal sites. According to preliminary estimates, investments in the programme will exceed RUB 40 bn, with expenditures on works performed in 2021–2023 totalling RUB 11.5 bn.
In 2023, along with demolition of abandoned buildings, clean‑up, collection and removal of scrap metal and waste, the Company arranged for the biological reclamation of 78.8 ha of disturbed land.
Waste disposal
SASB EM‑MM‑540a.1, EM‑MM‑540a.2
Tailing dumps are assets with elevated risks capable of having a material impact on the environment and local communities. MMC Norilsk Nickel and its business units take steps to ensure safe storage of tailings, regularly monitor the state of hydraulic structures, and inspect discharge locations and adjacent areas. To regulate relevant matters, the Company approved a list of by‑laws.
In 2023, the Company updated MMC Norilsk Nickel’s Tailings Management Policy setting out goals, principles, rules, requirements, and restrictions related to the Company's operations to ensure the safe operation of tailing dumps throughout their life cycle. The updated policy was approved by the Board of Directors. In the reporting year, the Company also continued to draft a standard to operate hydraulic structures at tailing dumps, which will describe, among other things, an approach to and frequency of reporting on tailings management from the section to executive level. The standard will be implemented before the end of 2024.
Tailing dumps
The Company currently operates the following tailings dumps:
Norilsk hosts a gypsum storage facility as part of the Sulphur Programme, which is currently at the pre‑commissioning stage.
Our tailing dumps comply with Russian laws and have all permits along with design and expert documentation in place for the commencement of construction and operation.
Additionally, we developed mandatory safety criteria to operate each tailing dump and had them approved by regulators. At least once in five years, the regulator (Rostechnadzor) performs a mandatory audit preceded by drafting a safety declaration for hydraulic structures. The declaration is issued by an independent expert organisation approved by Rostechnadzor following an inspection of said structures.
In 2023, an independent company conducted an audit with subsequent reporting on the compliance of tailings management processes in the Company with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) for two facilities:
- a tailing dump at Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (operating facility);
- gypsum storage at Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (facility under construction).
Tailing safety monitoring
Every facility has a safety monitoring system that encompasses internal production control and environmental monitoring.
For each tailing dump, there is a safety monitoring project for hydraulic structures defining the scope (type) and time frames of such monitoring. Daily visual monitoring is the responsibility of operators, while instrumental measurements (surveying, environmental and hydrogeological control, etc.) are performed in line with project timelines.
In 2023, we started designing an automated monitoring solution for hydraulic structures at three tailing dumps of Norilsk Division (Polar Division and Medvezhy Ruchey). Design completion and implementation of project solutions are scheduled for 2024–2025.
In 2023, we completed inspection of the tailing dump at Kola MMC Concentrator (Zapolyarny). In 2024–2025, we plan to develop a strategy for setting up the tailing dump's analytical situation centre, after which new process solutions will be tested for automating the monitoring of hydraulic structures.
All hydraulic structures are subject to ongoing comprehensive monitoring for industrial safety. Tailing dumps are also inspected for stability by competent independent organisations certified by Rostechnadzor.
Assessment of tailing dump risks
There are two processes in place to assess the Company’s tailing dump risks:
- estimates of potential damage to life and health of individuals, and to property of individuals and legal entities as a result of an emergency at a hydraulic structure. The estimates are prepared at least once every five years, when developing a safety declaration. The document outlines emergency scenarios, assessment of potential emergency risks and negative impact on communities, ecosystems, and critical infrastructure in case of a disaster / dam break, defines the most probable and serious emergency that may occur at a hydraulic structure, and predicts the parameters of a dam‑break wave along with flooding and flow spreading boundaries in case of a hydrodynamic accident at a tailing dam;
- assessment of technical and production risks carried out in line with Nornickel’s Regulations on Technical and Production Risk Management.
To address tailing dump‑related risks, the Company has organisational units and officers providing regular reports to the management. Such units engage qualified and experienced staff.
The Company identifies tailing dumps, reviews the timeframes for decommissioning, and determines the future closure and land rehabilitation costs. Based on the results, the Company calculates the present (discounted) value of future costs, recognising its environmental provision with respect to the tailing dumps.
Preparedness to respond to accidents and emergencies
SASB EM‑MM‑540a.3
Although all tailings facilities operated by the Company and its Russian business units are located far from production sites and residential areas, we view them as assets with elevated risks capable of having a material impact on the environment and local communities.
In accordance with the Russian laws and the principles of responsible tailings management, the Company and Russian business units simulate the occurrence of accidents at tailing dumps. For the most unfavourable and most probable scenario of an accident that can translate into an emergency, the development of an action plan for emergency prevention and response is underway. The plan calculates parameters of such an emergency and describes in detail the emergency response actions of the personnel and rescue teams aimed at protecting the life and health of employees and the public, reducing the amount of environmental and financial damage.
Action plans for emergency prevention and response shall be agreed with the head of local administration on whose territory the Company or a Russian business unit operates, as well as with the heads of professional emergency rescue teams engaged for servicing the facilities. The plans are updated on an annual basis and fully revised once every five years. We also conduct regular training sessions with the personnel and emergency rescue services to practice actions in accordance with the plans.
All tailing dumps of the Company and Russian business units of extremely high and high hazard class have local warning systems in place for emergency notification of employees and the public. To keep such systems ready for use, daily technical checks are carried out and at least once a year comprehensive checks are conducted with alarms activated.