The permafrost monitoring system is one of Nornickel’s landmark projects designed to assess the impact of permafrost thawing processes in the Norilsk District and manage emergency risks. The reference observation network will cover an area from Tukhard to Svetlogorsk.

**A well drilled in the centre of Norilsk more than half a century ago and restored by Nornickel**

The Company is now rehabilitating permafrost observation wells to assure the quality and consistency of assessments as much as possible. 2022 saw a total of five 200 m deep wells drilled in Norilsk, Talnakh, Oganer, Kayerkan and Dudinka, starting from a well in the heart of Norilsk, near an apartment building at 25a Leninsky Avenue. It dates back to the 1960s, when it was used for continuous temperature measurements. Last year, Polar Division restored the well, performed a soil composition study and geophysical measurements, and analysed groundwater chemistry. The next step was to install thermistor strings there, which were placed at a depth of 200 m in March 2023, with all data now automatically transmitted twice a day to an information and diagnostics system of Polar Division’s Buildings and Structures Monitoring Centre.

“The results turned out to be quite interesting,” says Giorgi Kunchulia, Head of Climate Change Research Adaptation at Polar Division. “Over the past 65 years, there has only been a 0.3℃ increase in soil temperature at a depth of 80 m. In 1958, permafrost was observed at a depth of 150 m versus 147.7 m now. More importantly, we identified significant permafrost thawing at zero annual amplitude depths (10 m), with temperature rising by 4.2℃ since 1958. This kind of increase seems to fairly describe the state of soils in the Norilsk Industrial District as a combination of operational factors and the current climate environment, while our observations demonstrate a steady global warming trend.”

	1958	2006	2023
—10 m	—6.3℃	—0.8℃	—2.1℃
—30 m	—4.4℃	—3℃	—3.2℃

Similar pilot tests using automated thermistor strings will also be performed at other wells in Talnakh, Kayerkan, Oganer and Dudinka. As a result, we will obtain summarised data for all locations in the Norilsk Industrial District. Our plan is to build a 3D geological model of the District. Even now, Nornickel can calculate and assess whether thermal stabilisation or other solutions are necessary and feasible for the safe operation of buildings and structures on permafrost soils.

The next step towards building the permafrost monitoring system is to set up our own network of automated weather stations for production applications. The Company intends to install around 15 weather stations across Taimyr to obtain consistent and comprehensive weather data from air temperature to wind direction and snow load. This information is essential for assessing climate impacts on permafrost soils and high-precision forecasting.

“Management decisions and technical solutions based on this research are key to renovating Norilsk as well. The research findings will also help us implement large-scale capital construction projects,” said Giorgi Kunchulia.

Overall, Nornickel conducts a variety of geophysical surveys to ensure safe operation of Polar Division’s industrial sites and, going forward, the city’s residential infrastructure. The monitoring system enables the Company to proactively identify potentially hazardous defects and deviations that might result in damage to buildings and structures or their elements. Today, a total of 340 buildings and structures are equipped with sensors that respond to changes in the temperature of soils at the foundation beds of buildings. In addition to 416 wells drilled, the Company installed 716 inclinometers to monitor the deformation of foundations of all types, as well as 49 sensors recording humidity and temperature levels at facilities with a crawl space. Readings of the devices are submitted to the control unit of the Buildings and Structures Monitoring Centre in real time.

Norilsk Nickel is developing a network of wells in the Arctic to monitor permafrost