New Oil Spill Near Norilsk Localized, Pumping Pipeline Shut Down - Nornickel Subsidiary
A new oil spill near the Russian city of Norilsk that occurred earlier on Friday has been localized, and the pumping of the pipeline was shut down, the press service of NTEK, a subsidiary of the Nornickel metals giant, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2020) A new oil spill near the Russian city of Norilsk that occurred earlier on Friday has been localized, and the pumping of the pipeline was shut down, the press service of NTEK, a subsidiary of the Nornickel metals giant, told Sputnik.
Earlier in the day, Russia's Rosprirodnadzor environmental watchdog said that a new oil blend spill occurred during the clean-up of the recent fuel spill in the north of Russia, near Norilsk. According to the watchdog, the water-fuel mixture got into the Ambarnya River as a result of a "burst and discharge through the sleeve," through which it was pumped to a temporary storage site.
"The area of the spill was 5 by 10 meters [16.4 by 33 feet], the volume of the spilled mixture was from 100 to 250 liters. The spill is localized, the pipeline is disconnected.
This area is being cleaned up with soil excavation and sorbent treatment. Pumping work stopped, staff involved in the pumping process are engaged in clearing the spill," the press service said, citing NTEK CEO Sergey Lipin.
On May 29, some 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked out of a fuel tank at the Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company's Thermal Power Plant No. 3 and seeped into a nearby river. According to Nornickel, which owns the power plant where the accident took place, the spill was caused by melting permafrost, which set the supports of the fuel tank in motion.
The emergency services have announced having localized the spill. Russia's Rosprirodnadzor environmental watchdog has estimated the incurred damage at approximately $2 billion. The company said that it was contesting the amount of damage to the environment caused by the fuel spill.