Rosprirodnadzor (Russian environmental watchdog) has summarized the results of the first year of Nornickel’s flagship environmental initiative, the Sulfur Program. During the verification process, the efficiency of emissions purification was confirmed to exceed 99%.

The Sulfur Program at the Nadezhda Smelter in Norilsk began in October 2023 with the launch of its first technological line. Over the year, Nornickel gradually brought the program to its design capacity by sequentially commissioning key gas utilization equipment. In 2024, the second technological line became operational.

Nornickel’s Sulfur Program is part of the federal Clean Air project and its largest component. According to the plan, the company was to reduce emissions by 377,000 tons in 2024. Specialists from Rosprirodnadzor, with the involvement of a state-accredited laboratory, verified the company’s progress through a dedicated audit.

The conclusion provided to Nornickel confirms that the sulfuric acid production equipment has reached its design parameters, all measures under the Emissions Quota Achievement Plan have been fulfilled, and gas purification efficiency of over 99% has been validated. The total reduction in pollutant emissions for 2024 aligns with the established targets (planned: 377,600 tons; actual: 386,500 tons).

Starting December 25, every resident of Norilsk can independently assess air quality in the city. Nornickel developed and transferred to the city administration an atmospheric air quality monitoring system, which visually displays pollution levels across different districts of Norilsk (available on the administration’s website).

Nikolay Utkin, First Vice President and Head of Government Relations at Nornickel:

“The Sulfur Program represents an entirely new production facility, a project unique in scale and technology. No one in the world has done this before—let alone in the Arctic. Nornickel is investing enormous resources into its environmental program and improving living conditions in the regions where the company operates. These efforts are bearing fruit, and the benefits now rightfully extend beyond Norilsk’s residents: this is a major contribution to the health of the Arctic.”

Stanislav Seleznev, Vice President of Nornickel:

“Passing Rosprirodnadzor’s verification was critical for Norilsk Nickel. The results confirm that our project is operational and effective. We intend to continue implementing the Sulfur Program. Next year’s plan is to process nearly twice as much sulfur dioxide. This will allow us to fulfill our obligations under the Clean Air project for this period and halve emissions in Norilsk.”

Sulphur Program reaches near-absolute efficiency in emissions cleanup