The Russian smelting facility in Nikel, which has sent clouds of sulfur over Finnmark for several decades, will be closed on Christmas Eve, according to Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
“Then the emissions will stop, and we expect a significant improvement in the environmental situation,” Tatjana Jegorova, communications manager for the Russian industrial group Nornickel, which operates the smelter, told NRK.
In the 1980s, the plant emitted around 400,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide a year.
In recent years, the annual emissions have been down to around 80,000 tonnes, but it is still five times as much as Norway’s total emissions.
While the smelter in Nikel is being phased out, operations continue in the town of Montsjegorsk further east.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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