Economy in balance with ecology: the results of the Clean Air Project discussed at the RUSSIA EXPO

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The federal project "Clean Air", implemented under the national project "Ecology", is called one of the most complex and ambitious. Its participants are Russian industrial centers with high levels of air pollution and cities in Siberia and the Far East. The result of the measures taken should be a halving of emissions by 2030 compared to 2017. The experience of companies in modernizing their enterprises, as well as government support measures to reduce harmful emissions, were discussed at the RUSSIA EXPO at the expert panel "Clean Air: Balance between Economy and Ecology".

Large industrial enterprises are carrying out modernization: they are reconstructing metallurgical facilities and gas purification units and replacing outdated equipment.

Nornickel company changed its production scheme for non-ferrous and precious metals to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions. In addition, outdated facilities were closed, and efficient sulphur dioxide utilization technology was introduced at new facilities.

RUSAL company uses an advanced generation of Soderberg electrolyzers at its aluminum smelters in Krasnoyarsk, Bratsk and Novokuznetsk. The new technology involves the use of environmentally friendly stock that contains a low amount of pitch, the main source of tarry emissions. Automatic alumina feed and other innovative solutions significantly reduce the negative impact on the environment.

Earlier it was reported that the business has already invested almost half a trillion rubles in environmental restructuring. By the end of 2026, the companies' investments will amount to about 300 billion rubles more.

"Clean Air" has three components: production, heating, transport. Until 2024, it is planned to support the switching of more than 24 thousand households from stove heating to gas, modernize boiler houses, change the system of eco-monitoring. More than 700 environmentally friendly tramways, trolleybuses and buses have been put on city routes in the cities participating in the project. They run on gas motor fuel. 

Due to the work carried out under the federal project, by 2023 pollutant emissions have been reduced by more than 292 thousand tons or 12% of the baseline emissions in 2017.