Environmentalists will evaluate the consequences of a major contamination accident in the thermal power plant in the Norilsk city in Russia's northern Krasnoyarsk Territory by August, the Russian Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) mining giant said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th June, 2020) Environmentalists will evaluate the consequences of a major contamination accident in the thermal power plant in the Norilsk city in Russia's northern Krasnoyarsk Territory by August, the Russian Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) mining giant said on Tuesday.
The accident took place in late May when 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked out of a fuel tank at the Thermal Power Plant No. 3 of the Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company, part of Nornickel, and seeped into a nearby river. The city declared a state of emergency and spent millions of Dollars to clean up the spill.
"Specialists will assess the consequences of the fuel spill for the environment and give an opinion on countervailing measures. The final document is planned to be prepared by August," the company said in a statement.
Also, an ethnological examination to assess the damage to indigenous peoples of the north from the fuel spill in Norilsk began last week. The commission includes representatives of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, scientists from Moscow State University, the Northern (Arctic) Federal University, the academy of Sciences of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Miklukho-Maklai Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology.
"The Commission will have to establish how the oil spill can affect the lifestyle and traditional businesses of the indigenous peoples of the north. They will study the current and future man-caused impact on hunting and fishing, reindeer husbandry, and the preservation of cultural traditions," the company added.
Following the accident, Russia's Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case on negligence charges against Norilsk Mayor Rinat Akhmetchin. According to the committee, the official failed to implement proper measures to address the incident despite being aware of the scope of the spill.
