Oil Spill In Russia's Norilsk To Be Localized In Two Weeks If Weather Permits - Nornickel

Oil Spill in Russia's Norilsk to Be Localized in Two Weeks If Weather Permits - Nornickel

The fuel spill from the thermal power plant in the Russian Arctic city of Norilsk can be taken under control within 14 days, if the weather conditions are favorable, the first vice-president and the chief operating officer at the Nornickel metals company, Sergey Dyachenko, said on Thursday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2020) The fuel spill from the thermal power plant in the Russian Arctic city of Norilsk can be taken under control within 14 days, if the weather conditions are favorable, the first vice-president and the chief operating officer at the Nornickel metals company, Sergey Dyachenko, said on Thursday.

A state of emergency was declared in the city after some 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked out of a fuel tank at the Norilsk - Taimyr Energy Company's (NTEC) Thermal Power Plant No. 3 and seeped into a nearby river. An investigative committee found that the tank had ruptured. Initial suspicions that a car rammed the tank were dispelled.

"The conclusion of the marine experts ... is an estimate of 14 days [to localize the spill]. Fourteen days, provided that the wind contributes a little to our situation. The wind direction is changing all the time, but we would like the wind to sweep the spill to the containment booms. But sometimes the wind blows in the opposite direction, so the oil spill drifts," Dyachenko, who is in charge of the company's response efforts, said on the Rossiya 1 broadcaster.

The official made assurances that the situation was under control.

"We have discovered a way to partition [the spill], and with several teams, we will collect this oil in storages," Dyachenko added.

The official praised the efforts of rescuers from St. Petersburg and Murmansk who helped prevent the spill from floating further into Lake Pyasino by installing containment booms.