- Write by:
-
Saturday, July 4, 2020 - 12:42:10 PM
-
977 Visit
-
Print
Mining News Pro - Russia’s safety watchdog on Friday ordered a power unit of mining giant Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) to suspend operations at six facilities for 90 days for violating safety rules, following a fuel spill in the Arctic.
A fuel tank lost pressure on May 29 and unleashed 21,000 tonnes of diesel into rivers and subsoil near the city of Norilsk, an incident that Greenpeace has compared to the devastating 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska.
Nornickel said the requested changes to improve safety by the Rostekhnadzor watchdog were already in its working plan to prepare for the winter season in the Norilsk region.
The watchdog’s decision will not affect the power supply of the region, it added, meaning production should not be affected.
Rostekhnadzor met with Norilsk Nickel management on Friday to discuss results of an unscheduled audit it had conducted after the fuel spill, the watchdog said in a statement.
At the meeting it warned management of the potential for even worse accidents if comprehensive measures were not taken, and described accident rates at the site as “alarming”, its statement said.
The company and emergency specialists are collecting contaminated soil and fuel from local rivers, and President Vladimir Putin has said the scale of the clear-up operation is unprecedented for Russia.
According to Nornickel’s estimate, over 90% of spilt fuel has been collected and removed so far.
It previously said the accident was caused by a thaw in the permafrost weakening the foundations of a storage tank and is now developing a system to monitor the condition of the permafrost.
Short Link:
https://www.miningnews.ir/En/News/558812
Indonesia’s outgoing government has added 16 programs to its list of strategic projects that will receive state support, ...
South African diversified miner Sibanye Stillwater is discussing with lenders to temporarily lift limits on borrowings, ...
The Philippines said on Friday it aimed to add three more processing plants in the effort to develop a downstream ...
Canada’s mining industry is pushing for an carveout to the federal government’s proposed increase to capital gains ...
Australia will spend A$566 million ($373 million) over the coming decade to map out resource deposits with a focus on ...
Indonesia’s nickel reserves are sufficient for expanded processing operations, an investment ministry official said on ...
BHP’s plan to divest the South African assets of its target Anglo American are key to the strategy behind the proposed ...
Anglo American CEO Duncan Wanblad is meeting on Friday South African mines minister Gwede Mantashe for the first time ...
The Senate voted Tuesday evening to approve legislation banning the import of enriched uranium from Russia, sending the ...
No comments have been posted yet ...