Russia's Norilsk Nickel Involved in New Arctic Fuel Spill

By Ann M. Simmons 

MOSCOW -- Authorities in Russia's Arctic region declared a local state of emergency following the leak of aviation fuel into nearby reservoirs just weeks after a catastrophic diesel spill in the same region.

Officials in the Taimyr Dolgano-Nenets district of the remote Krasnoyarsk region said Monday almost 45 tons of jet fuel leaked into the ground from a pipeline owned and operated by mining giant Norilsk Nickel, or Nornickel. The same company spilled 20,000 tons of diesel from a holding tank at one of its other installations in May.

Nornickel said in a statment that the accident occurred on Sunday after a pipeline pumping aviation fuel depressurized. It said the pipeline belonged to its subsidiary Norilsktransgaz and led to the fuel being discharged for about 15 minutes.

Local authorities said in a statement that the fuel was being pumped to a fuel and lubricants warehouse when the spill occurred.

Officials at Nornickel didn't immediately respond to a request for further information about circumstances surrounding the spill.

In a statement the company said it immediately notified emergency services and there were "no threats to life and health of people in the territory." It said an internal investigation into the cause of the spill was under way and all work involving the transfer of fuel had been suspended.

All possible measures to expedite the collection of the spilled fuel were being taken, the company said.

Local authorities said the fuel had seeped into a nearby lake and a stream but had been localized and was being contained by boom barriers and sorbents.

Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case focused on the possible violation of environmental safety regulations.

The incident comes weeks after the Russian government ordered Nornickel to pay $2 billion in damages for the cleanup of a 20,000 ton spill from an Arctic plant run by another of its subsidiaries in the remote town in Norilsk.

The company is disputing the $2 billion fine and blamed the May 29 incident on the sudden failure of posts that supported the basement of a fuel storage after permafrost had begun to thaw. It promised to pay for the cleanup and work with state, federal and independent entities to completely restore the ecosystem.

The spill contaminated a swath of land and several ecologically important bodies of water. The Russian branch of Greenpeace called it the worst spill the Arctic has seen.

The catastrophe prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to declare a national state of emergency in the Krasnoyarsk region where Norilsk is located after learning of the spill in early June.

"We are worried that these accidents have begun to occur too often," said Vladimir Chuprov, project director at the Russian branch of Greenpeace.

Write to Ann M. Simmons at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 13, 2020 10:15 ET (14:15 GMT)

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