Norilsk Nickel will continue work to stop the water inflow at the Oktyabrsky and Taimyrsky mines. This is stated on March 9 in a message on the company’s website.
“Completed work on filling the tunnel with a hardening backfill mixture. Over the next week, when the backfill mixture gains the required strength, the flow of groundwater from this mine will be completely stopped by closing the valves, “said Nikolai Utkin, senior vice president of Norilsk Nickel, head of the Norilsk division.
It is noted that after the completion of the work, the question of the timing of the resumption of the work of both mines will be considered.
The press service emphasized that the Norilsk dressing plant is currently shut down for repairs. The company plans to restore the disseminated ore processing chain by March 16 through modernization of the feeding and processing scheme. At the same time, the factory is being inspected by Rostekhnadzor and internal audit activities.
In early March, Norilsk Nickel hoped that by March 9 it would be able to stabilize the situation at the Taimyrsky and Oktyabrsky mines. The fact that the company partially suspended the work of two mines due to flooding became known on February 24.
On February 20, there was a collapse at the Norilsk washing plant. Three galleries of the crushing shop collapsed, as well as partially warehouse premises on an area of 1 thousand square meters. m. Under the rubble were eight people. 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 the Russian Federation (“Violation of safety rules during mining, resulting in the death of two or more persons by negligence”).