Norilsk Nickel plans to construct a new copper refining facility in Monchegorsk that will produce 150,000tpa of copper, double the capacity of the closed shop, and use roasting-leaching-electroextraction technology.

There would be a higher level of mechanisation, automation, and a much smaller proportion of manual labour in the new plant, said the company.

Norilsk Nickel noted the smelting shop closure in early March would reduce sulphur dioxide emissions in Monchegorsk to less than 30,000 tons per year in 2021, cutting emissions in the wider Kola Peninsula by 85%.

All the concentrate that was processed in the shop will go to go to the Norilsk Division for processing. 

"The results of the company's efforts to reduce the environmental impact are evident: next year, we expect Kola MMC's emissions to be 22,000 t/yr, of which 8,000-9,000 depending on the season are emissions from the power plant, which also heats homes in Monchegorsk," said Evgeny Borzenko, general director of Kola MMC. 

Nornickel will start a clean-up of the existing production facilities and the metallurgical units that will last throughout 2021, with the dismantling of production facilities and buildings to start in 2022.