Soil protection and responsible mining
As a result of field development in the Trans‑Baikal Territory, Taimyr and Kola peninsulasFor the full list of fields, please see the Norilsk Nickel Group Profile section., waste disposal, construction and other works, Nornickel produces a negative impact on land resources, which is mitigated by consistent efforts to rehabilitate affected soils.
In accordance with the Russian law, design documents for the development, construction and operation of fields include an environmental impact assessment, a list of measures to prevent and/or reduce possible environmental impacts and ensure the rational use of natural resources throughout the life cycle of the facility.
The Company complies with all applicable regulations for land rehabilitation and other environmental protection initiatives associated with field development and other operations. Upon completion of field development, the Company commits to restore land plots, liquidate mine workings and rehabilitate lands.
Completion of the restoration efforts at CHP‑3
In June 2023, we conducted on‑site inspection of the land plots contaminated by the fuel spill in 2020 and disturbed during clean‑up activities.
The high quality of the rehabilitation efforts was confirmed by laboratory tests and independent inspectionsTrofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.. The main chemical and physical indicators of soil condition meet quality standards and requirements of the Russian laws. The Company's activities have a positive impact on the processes of self‑regeneration of vegetation and soil.
NTEC provided a warranty certificate for the work performed and an acceptance certificate for the rehabilitated land setting out improvement requirements (elimination of defects (if identified) during the warranty period and re‑inspection in the absence of snow cover).
In July 2023, an acceptance certificate was drawn up for the remaining 27.44 ha of rehabilitated land. By resolution of the Norilsk Municipal Administration, it was established that the rehabilitation of all land plots contaminated by the diesel fuel spill and disturbed during the clean‑up activities on an area of 74.96 ha was completed.
Responsible exploration
To replenish its resource base, Nornickel focuses closely on exploration, including geophysical and geochemical surveys.
Nornickel sees a significant potential for the discovery of new deposits and plans to continue exploration both within and beyond its footprint to unlock it.
In 2023, the Company implemented eleven exploration projects, including seven projects involving field geological exploration with environmental impact (two projects in the Norilsk Industrial District, four projects in the Trans‑Baikal Territory, and one project in the Murmansk Region).
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The Group’s exploration activities are subject to:
- various regulations of the Russian Federation covering subsoil use, environmental protection, occupational health, industrial and fire safety;
- internal assessments of environmental protection obligations based on the requirements of applicable laws in various jurisdictions, terms of licence agreements and internal engineering estimates as interpreted by the Company’s management.
As Nornickel seeks to keep ecosystem intact, it avoids exploration at protected natural areas and world heritage sites, and ensures no negative impact on the traditional industries, cultural heritage, interests and traditional lifestyles of indigenous peoples.
Environmental monitoring
Each project assesses the environmental setting at the time of starting and completing the exploration. The purpose of the environmental setting assessment is to obtain and record reliable indicators characterising the natural background of the environment prior to the commencement of geological exploration. Such assessment includes analysis of available geological, geochemical, hydrogeological, hydro‑meteorological and environmental information, identification of disturbed lands by means of analysing aerospace images and ground routes, sampling of environmental components (soil, surface water, bottom deposits, vegetation cover, background radiation), creating sites to monitor dangerous exogenous geological processes. The results of the above studies serve as the jump‑off point for assessing the environmental impact of geological exploration. Geological exploration is accompanied by annual environmental monitoring, including monitoring of the pollution of surface water, snow cover, environmental components and development of dangerous exogenous geological processes. Based on the monitoring, we make a conclusion on the extent of environmental impact of geological exploration (if any).
In addition, Nornickel monitors environmental quality during geological exploration, which helps make informed management decisions to preserve habitats and ensure environmental safety of traditional trades.
Alongside the monitoring, we implement a set of measures to protect subsurface, soil, vegetation, and water bodies. Upon completion of drilling operations, disturbed land is subject to rehabilitation, including:
- liquidation of drilling sites;
- neutralisation of soil contaminated with fuel and lubricants;
- land levelling;
- bringing sites to a condition suitable for further use according to their intended purpose.
Adverse environmental impact of exploration activities in the course of the above projects was found to be insignificant according to the observations made, which testifies to the effectiveness of our environmental protection measures.