Nornickel controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
Back to profile4 entries
2021
Court orders Nornickel subsidiary to pay record Arctic spill fine
Fine or penalty
The Krasnoyarsk Arbitration Court ordered a Nornickel subsidiary to pay 146.2 billion rubles for damage caused by the diesel spill. Russian authorities blamed the company for failing to prevent or stop the disaster; the ruling followed a spill that polluted surrounding land and waterways.
Company response
Clarification — Nornickel
In a statement issued after the ruling, Nornickel said it would “carefully study the court’s decision after we receive the full text.”
Source excerpt
Nornickel said it would study the verdict in detail once it gets the full text. The company has a month to file an appeal.
Norilsk Nickel (MCX: GMKN), the world’s largest palladium miner and a significant nickel producer, will have to pay a record fine of 146 billion rubles ($1.94 billion) in compensation for a huge fuel spill in the Arctic last May, a Russian court ruled on Friday.
The spill occurred on May 29, when an aging reservoir at one of the company’s facilities collapsed and leaked 21,000 tonnes of diesel in the surrounding area, most of which seeped into the soil and nearby rivers for several days before local authorities responded to the accident.
2020
Norilsk diesel spill
A failed fuel-storage tank at a Nornickel-affiliated energy facility released diesel into waterways and land near Norilsk. The incident led to emergency containment, a large environmental compensation claim, a prolonged cleanup program and renewed criticism of the company’s industrial safety and environmental record.
2020
Russian environmental watchdog fines Norilsk Nickel over Arctic oil spill damage
Fine or penalty
In 2020, the Russian environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor fined Norilsk Nickel almost 148 billion roubles (US$2.1 billion) as compensation for damage caused by the May oil spill. Norilsk Nickel contested the severity of the fine and said it was calculated on the assumption of maximum damage.
Company response
Denial — Norilsk Nickel
Norilsk Nickel contests the severity of the fine, saying that the figure had been calculated at the assumption of maximum damage and didn’t take into account the cleanup already occurring.
Ongoing disclosure — Norilsk Nickel
The company also emphasised its commitment to fully cover the environmental cost.
Source excerpt
Norilsk Nickel contests the severity of the fine, saying that the figure had been calculated at the assumption of maximum damage and didn’t take into account the cleanup already occurring.
However, Rosprirodnadzor has fined the company almost 148bn roubles (US$2.1bn) as “voluntary compensation” for the damages.
The company also emphasised its commitment to fully cover the environmental cost.
1935
Gulag labor legacy
The construction and early operation of the Soviet Norilsk Combine relied extensively on forced labor from the Gulag system. This historical association is an essential part of the industrial history of the enterprise and the Norilsk settlement.