Soil protection
and responsible
mining

Land protection

Nornickel’s main priority is to reduce and, where possible, prevent negative impact on land resources caused by production and delivery operations. We are committed to progressive rehabilitation of land used in construction and mining or affected by emissions from our operations.

The Company plans to develop an approach to assessing the current and legacy effects of mining, construction, and incidents on land.

Nornickel is developing the Oktyabrskoye, Talnakhskoye and Norilsk-1 deposits on the Taimyr Peninsula, Zhdanovskoye, Zapolyarnoye, Kotselvaara and Semiletka deposits on the Kola Peninsula, and the Bystrinskoye Deposit in the Trans-Baikal Territory.

The Company has field development, mine liquidation and land rehabilitation project documents in place for all of its deposits. It is at the project design stage that we assess the environmental impact of deposit development and make a list of measures to prevent or mitigate potential negative effects on the environment while ensuring sustainable use of natural resources. The project design documents provide for layouts, slopes, hydraulic and irrigation structures, and other technical measures.

Nornickel’s deposits are in commercial development, exploration or production test stages with liquidation or abandonment not expected until 2050 and special provisions set aside for rehabilitation activities.

Environmental protection and monitoring measures taken during the deposit life cycle

The Company complies with all applicable regulations for land rehabilitation and other environmental protection initiatives associated with field development, construction and other operations.

In 2021, Nornickel completed the first stage of the programme to rehabilitate the land contaminated by the fuel spill at HPP-3 in Norilsk, with the final second stage scheduled for 2022.

Nornickel traditionally takes part in urban greening projects in Norilsk, Dudinka, Monchegorsk, Zapolyarny, and Nickel. Together with local authorities and the Company’s volunteers, we run a remediation programme to clean up and improve public spaces and areas around motorways, protect water bodies and water reserves, and revamp tourist camping sites.

Responsible exploration and field development

Nornickel focuses closely on the exploration and development of untapped resources to replenish its resource base. Exploration activities include geophysical and geochemical surveys and drilling at promising subsoil areas across the Company’s current operations. Exploration is carried out both within and outside of Nornickel’s footprint. The Company sees a significant potential for the discovery of new deposits and plans to continue exploration to unlock it.

The Group’s exploration activities are subject to various regulations of the Russian Federation covering environmental protection, occupational health, industrial and fire safety. Furthermore, Nornickel assesses its 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.

In order to assess, monitor and predict the environmental situation during exploration, development and operation of deposits to make competent management decisions aimed at preserving habitats and ensuring environmental safety of traditional trades, we conduct environmental monitoring at all stages of exploration and development.

Nornickel seeks to keep ecosystem intact, avoid exploration at protected natural areas and world heritage sites, and ensure no negative impact on traditional trades, cultural heritage, interests and traditional lifestyles of indigenous peoples as part of its exploration activities.

In addition to environmental monitoring, exploration is accompanied by a set of measures to protect the subsoil, topsoil, vegetation and water bodies. Upon completion of reserve exploration, disturbed land is subject to rehabilitation including liquidation of drilling sites, neutralisation of soil contaminated with fuel and lubricants, as well as land levelling. The land plots are brought to a condition suitable for further use according to their intended purpose.