MMK investments in ecology till 2025 should significantly reduce environmental impact
Implementation of the programme should dramatically reduce the level of air pollution in Magnitogorsk and ensure compliance with the definition of a ‘Clean City’. The most important elements of MMK's corporate strategy include continuous reduction of the Company’s negative impact on the environment and use of the best available technologies.
Grigory Schurov, Director for Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Protection at MMK, spoke about this at the 17th International Metallurgical Summit ‘Russian Steel: Growth Strategy’, held in late May in Lipetsk and organised by the Russian Steel Association.
According to him, MMK's environmental projects are part of the country's overall environmental strategy. Comprehensive action plans to reduce emissions of air pollutants are being implemented in twelve large industrial centres, including Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk, this is in accordance with the President of Russia's decree "on national goals and strategic objectives of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024". The key elements of the comprehensive plan adopted at Magnitogorsk were MMK's projects developed within the framework of MMK's 'Clean City' initiative.
As part of this initiative, from 2017-2025, the Company plans to significantly reduce its impact on the atmosphere and achieve a tenfold reduction in emissions of the most dangerous class 1 and class 2 pollutants, said Grigory Schurov. A major contribution to improving the ecology of the region will be the launch in July of this year of a new high-tech sintering plant No. 5 which has received a total investment of RUB 30 bln. It is equipped with the best available technologies that will reduce dust emissions into the atmosphere by 2,100 tonnes per year, and sulphur dioxide emissions by 3,500 tonnes per year. In addition, the discharge of suspended solids into the water circulation supply system will be reduced by 600 tonnes per year and emissions of benzopyrene will be reduced by almost a quarter.
Another large-scale modernisation project for the first processing stage, which will significantly reduce the man-made effect on the environment, is the construction of coke-oven plant No. 12. It will allow for the gradual decommissioning of five old plants, which will reduce gross emissions by 11,350 tonnes per year, or by 95%. MMK is set to invest more than RUB 5.4 bln in the construction of environmentally friendly facilities as part of plans to modernise its coking production.
MMK has invested more than RUB 58 bln in environmental programmes in the period from 2000 to 2018.
MMK operates with acknowledgement of its responsibility for environmental protection and is committed to the environmentally oriented development of its production capacity. Continued reduction and elimination of harmful impact on the environment is an integral element of MMK’s strategy to facilitate the long-term sustainable development of the plant.
About MMK
MMK is one of the world's largest steel producers and a leading Russian metals company. The company's operations in Russia include a large steel-producing unit encompassing the entire production chain, from the preparation of iron ore to downstream processing of rolled steel. MMK turns out a broad range of steel products with a predominant share of high-value-added products. In 2018, the company produced 12.7 mln tonnes of crude steel and 11.7 mln tonnes of commercial steel products. MMK Group had sales in 2018 of USD 8,214 mln and EBITDA of USD 2,418 mln.
Investor contacts:
Andrey Serov
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E-mail: serov.ae@mmk.ru
Media contacts:
Dmitry Kuchumov
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E-mail: kuchumov.do@mmk.ru
Dmitry Bulin
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