Economy in balance with ecology: the results of the Clean Air Project discussed at the RUSSIA EXPO
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metallurgical facilities and gas purification units and replacing outdated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 In addition, outdated facilities were closed,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.
