Analysing data from Russia's environmental oversight agency, Rosprirodnadzor (RPN), Bellona found that Norilsk Nickel is generating over 1.9 million tons of emissions annually in the Arctic, accounting for 37% of the emissions from the 30 most hazardous Russian industries identified by RPN in the region.

Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Norilsk Nickel had engaged in high-profile public relations campaigns touting its efforts to reduce emissions across its operations, including investments in new technologies to minimise emissions and waste at its Arctic sites.

The company's largest and oldest operation, Norilsk-Talnakh, is located in Siberia's Krasnoyarsk Krai region and encompasses several mines, concentrators, smelters, and refineries. The Polar Division, situated in the Murmansk Oblast region of Russia's Kola Peninsula, also hosts several major mines and processing facilities.

Across those Arctic sites but principally in Murmansk, Norilsk Nickel had prior to the conflict initiated a Sulfur Dioxide Reduction Programme to curb emissions from its smelters, as well as upgraded wastewater treatment facilities and established a network of environmental monitoring stations.

These measures were prompted by international pressure but also major pollution incidents in the Arctic.

In May 2020, a fuel storage tank collapse at a Norilsk Nickel power plant released approximately 21,000 t of diesel fuel into the Daldykan and Ambarnaya rivers. In 2016, a leak from a tailings dam at the Talnakh concentrator plant discharged wastewater containing heavy metals and other pollutants into the Kharaelakh River.

Progress unknown

Despite its post-disaster ESG efforts, Bellona's investigation highlights that Norilsk Nickel's own figures for 2022 show sulphur dioxide emissions totalling 1.7 million tons.

"Norilsk Nickel's prewar plans aimed to reduce this figure by 90% by 2025, relative to 2015 levels, but whether this is currently being pursued is unknown," the report states.

Even the company's own 2022 environmental report reveals an increase in the intensity of CO2 Scope 1&2 emissions to 6.5t of CO2e per million rubles from 6.2t in the previous year. Waste generation also rose to 166 million t from 157 million in 2021, and waste generation intensity (measured in thousand tons per million rubles) increased to 0.14 t from 0.12 t.

However, Norilsk Nickel has stressed in recent statements that the Sulphur Programme remains on track and that key equipment is currently undergoing testing across various facilities.

In September, it stated that the central server and control rooms, which will oversee the entire project, are under setup. Furthermore, the first shipment of limestone, essential for neutralising the sulphuric acid produced during sulphur dioxide utilisation, has arrived.