SMM7 March 13: Russian mining company Norilsk Nickel reported that the Norilsktransgaz pipeline belonging to the Norilsk Nickel Mine Group malfunctioned near the village of Tukhard on the Gydanskii tundra during the transfer of aviation fuel.
The company said in a media statement that the oil spill posed no threat to the health of residents in the area and that the crew had taken measures to recover the leaked fuel. Emergency services are also on the scene.
According to Nornickel, the leak occurred at around 11:15 on Sunday, July 12, 2020. Preliminary data show that nearly 44.5 tons of fuel leaked during the decompression process, which lasted about 15 minutes.
The miner said Norilsktransgaz was conducting an internal investigation into the incident and had submitted some information to Russia's emergency ministry.
This is the second time in less than two months that Nornickel has reported a fuel leak to the Arctic. The one in front occurred in late May at the Nornickel thermal power plant near Norilsk, in north-central Russia. At the time of the accident, the factory's reservoir burst, releasing 20,000 tons of diesel oil into the nearby area, polluting the land and rivers discharged into the lake connected to the Karahai.
Russia's environmental regulator has asked for more than $2 billion in compensation for the May leak, and the company has said clean-up costs will total $150 million.
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