#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Nornickel has created and launched an automatic air quality monitoring system in Norilsk. This is one of the first projects in Russia that allows monitoring the level of air pollution in the city online.
To organize the system, 16 environmental monitoring stations were installed in the Norilsk industrial region. They measure sulfur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), dust, temperature, pressure and humidity. The system combines various sensors and devices on a single platform and monitors the air quality in different areas of the Big Norilsk (Norilsk, Talnah, Kayerkan) around the clock. It allows assessing the level of air pollution in the city online. Information on the concentrations of the measured substances is updated every 20 minutes.
Nornickel organized the system as a city-forming enterprise of Norilsk. Currently, it’s been handed over to the city administration. The system is open to everyone: the Norilsk administration shows the received data online on the official website Норильск.рф in the form of an air quality index, which is calculated based on the maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) of pollutants. The air quality index is presented in a convenient color scheme: green – no pollution, yellow – moderate, red – high.
Since the end of 2022, the monitoring has been operating in test mode, the company tested and improved it to make the system convenient for all users, especially for Norilsk residents.
“Nornickel consistently fulfills all the obligations assumed by the company within the framework of the federal project Clean Air, and does it in the most technologically advanced way, using the best available technologies. This is one of the striking examples of how fulfilling our obligations contributes to real changes. The launch of the air quality monitoring system in Norilsk has become a symbol of our responsibility not only to the state, but also to the region, city residents and our employees”, said Alexander Popov, Senior vice president – chief operating officer of Nornickel, the Polar Division head.
According to the head of Norilsk, Dmitry Karasev, the participation of the city-forming enterprise, Nornickel, in the Clean Air federal project of the Ecology national project is extremely important for the city.
“Within its framework, the Sulfur Program, unique for the country, and perhaps for the whole world, has been implemented for several years. This project is of great importance for the city. I am glad that now anyone can visit the official website of the city and get acquainted with current data on the environment, including archived data for the last 14 days. Together with Nornickel, we’ve launched this system, and I invite everyone to use it. I thank Nornickel for its openness in environmental issues and the implementation of such an important initiative”, explained Dmitry Karasev.
Earlier, Nornickel’s project Permafrost Background Monitoring System won the International climate competition Green Eurasia – the development received the prestigious federal award in the field of corporate innovations, GenerationS Innovation Award (GIA), and was highly appreciated at the International Competition BRICS Solution Awards. Today, Nornickel is the only company in the country where both background and geotechnical monitoring are carried out simultaneously.
Follow us on Telegram, VKontakte.
Text: Maria Ivanova, Photo: Nornickel PD’s press service
