Russia's Nornickel Launches Independent Inquiry Into Recent Massive Diesel Leak

Russia's Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) mining giant said in a press release on Wednesday it had appointed the London-based Environmental Resources Management (ERM) company to conduct an independent inquiry into a massive contamination accident that took place in the northern Russian city of Norilsk in May

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2020) Russia's Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) mining giant said in a press release on Wednesday it had appointed the London-based Environmental Resources Management (ERM) company to conduct an independent inquiry into a massive contamination accident that took place in the northern Russian city of Norilsk in May.

Nornickel board has put together an Environmental Task Team to investigate the leak of some 21,000 tonnes of diesel fuel from a thermal power plant of one of its subsidiaries into an Arctic river in Norilsk on May 29.

"A world-class, international specialist environmental company, ERM has been selected to provide an independent review of the events surrounding the oil spill, the potential causes and remedial actions undertaken and planned.

ERM will produce an independent report for the Environmental Task Team to consider," the company said in the press release.

As stated by Gareth Penny, one of Nornickel top managers and head of the task force, the company is determined to "address the spill effectively and timeously" and is committed to "ensuring that we deal with all stakeholders in a transparent and open way."

According to Nornickel's earlier statements, the suspected cause of the spill was the melt of permafrost that supports the faulty power plant's fuel tank in motion.

The mining giant said it had already spent close to $6 billion to clean the spill.