Norilsk Nickel plans to fully restore production at the Oktyabrsky and Taimyrsky mines within 3-4 months. This is stated on March 16 in a press release from the company.
The Norilsk division of the company has presented a plan, according to the baseline scenario of which it is expected that the Oktyabrsky mine (production volume – 5 million tons of ore per year) will resume production in the second half of April – May. Recovery of production at Taimyrskoye (4.3 million tons of ore per year) is scheduled for early June, its full recovery will take about a month, the report says.
“After the completion of the second stage, we will begin to restore the work of the mines. The mining equipment was not damaged and is ready to resume work, ”said Nikolai Utkin, senior vice president of Norilsk Nickel, head of the Norilsk division.
On February 20, a collapse occurred at the Norilsk Concentrator. Collapsed three galleries of the crushing shop and partially warehouses on an area of 1 thousand square meters. m. Eight people were under the rubble. Two escaped on their own, four were taken out by rescuers. One of the rescued subsequently died. The bodies of two more workers were later found under the rubble.
On the fact of the incident, a criminal case was initiated under Part 3 of Art. 216 of the Criminal Code of Russia (“Violation of safety rules during mining, resulting in the death of two or more persons by negligence”).
The fact that the company partially suspended the work of the mines due to flooding became known on February 24. In early March, Norilsk Nickel hoped that by March 9 the situation at the Taimyrsky and Oktyabrsky mines would be stabilized, but the work to stop the water inflow had to be continued.