Norilsk Nickel brings down contaminant emissions

Norilsk Nickel informs of the progress made in optimizing water consumption and lowering the volume of effluents discharged into surface water bodies.

In 2012 the Company is going to implement a set of measures aimed at lowering any possible impact on water bodies, among them constructing 15 new mining and utility-sanitary wastewater treatment facilities.

Overall 8 treatment facilities have been put up so far in 2012 with 5 local treatment facilities to be completed by the year’s end, which will lead to a total reduction in effluents discharged of 540 thousand cubic meters per year.

Liquidating 3 outfalls of effluents with a total volume of 20.7 thousand cubic meters per year is planned for 2012.

The Company is erecting another 20 industrial and utility-sanitary wastewater treatment plants in the term of 2013-2018, which combined with planned upgrades of water circulation systems, will allow Norilsk Nickel to bring down overall contaminant discharge rates almost six fold, all the while reaching the targets on all wastewater outfalls.

The aggregate value of effluents discharged for the Group member-companies in 2011 has been reduced by 11.4 percent compared to the 2010 figures, comprising 18.1 million cubic meters in total.

Norilsk Nickel has developed and implemented a set of measures to rationalize utilization of water resources. The overall volume of the Group’s water intake for 2011 is reduced by 21.7 million cubic meters (by five percent) compared to the 2010 data. Surface bodies water intake is down 26.2 million cubic meters (10.4 percent), subterranean water bodies intake is 0.96 million cubic meters lower (3.2 percent).

The Group’s total water consumption is reduced by 81 million cubic meters (by 5.7 percent) compared to 2010.

ABOUT MMC NORILSK NICKEL

MMC Norilsk Nickel, a company incorporated under the laws of the Russian Federation, is the largest diversified mining and metals company in Russia, the world's largest producer of nickel and palladium and one of the world's largest producers of platinum, rhodium, copper and cobalt. In addition to this, MMC Norilsk Nickel produces a large number of other by-products, including gold, silver, tellurium, selenium, iridium and ruthenium.

The key production units of the Company’s group in Russia are at the Taimyr and Kola Peninsulas. MMC Norilsk Nickel international assets include operations in Finland, Australia, Botswana and South Africa.

MMC Norilsk Nickel’s shares are traded at MICEX-RTS. ADR’s on the Company’s shares are traded on the other the counter market in the US and at the London and Berlin stock exchanges.