Russia’s Norilsk Nickel mining company is planning to develop a batch of carbon-neutral nickel this year for the first time, after inquiries from companies like Apple and Tesla, said the company’s vice president Sergey Dubovitsky.
The steps likely to be take modernization of power equipment and replacement of turbines with more efficient ones, which will boost the share of renewable sources in energy generation by the company– currently at 46pc
Nickel production produces a lot of carbon emissions with approximately 18mt carbon dioxide per mt of metal produced. Demand for nickel demand is growing with EV company Tesla’s Elon Musk encouraging companies to indulge in nickel mining in an efficient manner while being considerate about the environment.
Norilsk Nickel won’t be able to attain carbon-neutral status by purchasing quotas. However, it could be possible by offsetting measures and international auditors can prove its effectiveness.
The company announced an increase in energy efficiency and optimization of energy consumption. Norilsk Nickel expects to reduce emissions by 60,000-70,000mt of carbon dioxide, by 2021-22.
The company plans to assign these savings to two batches of carbon-neutral nickel with a total volume of around 10,000mt.