Norilsk Nickel hopes to settle environ damage out of court

MOSCOW, Aug 5 (PRIME) -- Russian metals giant Norilsk Nickel hopes for an out-of-court settlement of the issue of compensation for environmental damage after the accident in Norilsk, Vice President Dmitry Pristanskov told PRIME on Wednesday.

“We expect that joint work within the framework of the interdepartmental working group created by the Russian Natural Resources and Environment Ministry will help determine the real picture of liquidating the consequences of an oil spill, develop a roadmap for their elimination, develop the most effective measures to restore the environment, clarify both approaches to solving the problem and the scope of damage caused,” he said.

“Such joint work can create a basis for out-of-court settlement of the issue of compensation for environmental damage,” Pristanskov added.

A fuel tank at Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company, part of Norilsk Nickel group, lost pressure on May 29 and leaked out 21,000 tonnes of fuel and lubricants into the river Ambarnaya, causing a fire.

The Federal Service for Natural Resources Oversight earlier assessed the damage inflicted on the environment by the spill at 147.7 billion rubles, but Norilsk Nickel disputed the amount of damage and said it would make an independent expertise.

(73.3806 rubles – U.S. $1)

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