MMC Norilsk Nickel
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| MMC Norilsk Nickel | |
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| Type | Public |
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| Founded | June 30, 1993 |
| Headquarters |  Moscow |
| Key people | Andrey A. Klishas, Chairman of the Board of Directors Mikhail D. Prokhorov, General Director, President and Chairman of the Management Board Igor Anatolievich Komarov, Deputy General Director |
| Industry | Mining Metallurgy |
| Products | Nickel Palladium Copper Platinum Gold Cobalt Selenium Tellurium Rhodium Silver Iridium Ruthenium Coal |
| Revenue | ~ US$7 bn (2005) |
| Slogan | N/A |
| Website | http://www.nornik.ru/en/ |
MMC Norilsk Nickel is a nickel and palladium mining and smelting operator in the Norilsk–Talnakh area, in northern Russia. Norilsk is headquartered in Moscow and is also active in gold, platinum, copper and cobalt. The company is the world's leading producer of nickel and palladium and is Russia's leading gold producer. It is ranked among the top four world platinum producers, in association with subsidiary Stillwater Mining Company of Denver, Colorado. It is ranked among the top ten copper producers.
The company is listed on NASDAQ and the RTS Stock Exchange. According to the company's English-language website its activity accounts for up to 1.5% of Russia's current gross domestic product. MMC stands for "Mining and Metallurgical Company".
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[edit] History
Mining began in the Norilsk area in the 1920s. The government of the USSR created the "Norilsk Combine" in 1935 and passed control to the NKVD at that time. Mining and metal production continued, and in 1993 a joint-stock company was created: RAO Norilsk Nickel. In 2000 - 2001 the company restructured, along the lines of big state-owned companies Yukos, Surgutneftegaz and Sibneft.
[edit] Operations
The nickel deposits of Norilsk-Talnakh are without doubt the largest nickel-copper-palladium deposits in the world. The deposit was formed 250 million years ago during the eruption of the Siberian Traps igneous province (STIP). The STIP erupted over one million cubic kilometres of lava, a large portion of it through a series of flat-lying lava conduits lying below Norilsk and the Talnakh Mountains. The Siberian Traps are considered to be responsible for the mass extinction event at the end of the Permian.
The ore was formed when the erupting magma became saturated in sulphur, forming globules of pentlandite, chalcopyrite, and other sulphides. These sulphides were then "washed" by the continuing torrent of erupting magma, and upgraded their tenor with nickel, copper, platinum, and palladium. The current resource known for these mineralised intrusion exceeds 1.8 billion tons.
The ore is mined underground via several shafts, and a decline. The ore deposits are currently being extracted at >1,200 m below ground. The ore deposits are drilled from the surface.
The deposits are being explored using electromagnetic field geophysics, with detection loops on the earth's surface with dimensions of over 1,000 m on a side. They are conclusively able to image the conduction nickel ore at depths in excess of 1,800 m.
Ore is smelted on site at Norilsk. The smelting is directly responsible for severe pollution, including acid rain and smog. By some estimates, 1 percent of the entire global emission of sulfur dioxide originates here. Heavy metal pollution in the area is so severe that the soil itself has platinum and palladium content which is feasible to mine. [1]
[edit] Production divisions
The company has three main divisions:
- The Polar Division of MMC Norilsk Nickel and ancillary activities, located in the Taimyr Peninsula
- Kola MMC, and ancillary activities, located in the Kola Peninsula (incorporating the Pechenganickel and Severonickel Combines)
- Polyus (acquired in November of 2002) located near Severo-Eniseysk in the Krasnoyarsk Region
[edit] Related organizations
Gipronickel Institute, in St Petersburg performs the design and construction of Norilsk's facilities. Gipronickel does research in every field of metallurgy, including extraction, patenting, design and more.
Stillwater Mining Company in Denver, USA is over 50% owned by Norilsk. Stillwater operates a platinum group metals (PGM) facility in Stillwater, Montana in the USA.
Polyus Gold Mining Company is 100% owned by Norilsk and is Russia's number one gold mining company.
Interros Holding Company, based in Moscow, owns part of Norilsk.
In partnership with Argosy Minerals of Australia, Norilsk attempted to operate Nakety/Bogota, a nickel mine on the island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific. Norilsk has withdrawn from this project.
[edit] Competition
Inco, WMC Resources and Anglo Platinum are important competitors to Norlisk in the production of nickel and of palladium.
VSMPO Avisma Corporation and Almazjuvelirexport are two Russian competitors to the company.
[edit] External links
- MMC Norilsk Nickel
- Gipronickel Institute
- Stillwater Mining Company
- Polyus Gold
- Interros
- The Moscow Times: Norilsk Nickel withdraws from Nakety Bogota project
- MBendi's MMC Norilsk Nickel information page
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