It’s well known that ore mining and processing may have a negative influence on the environment. The main task of Northern Iron Ore Enrichment Works is to minimize and exclude the existing harmful factors.
The management and the employees of the enterprise realize their responsibility for solving ecological problems and focus their activity on decreasing negative influence on the environment while performing technological processes connected with ore mining, its breakage, concentrate and pellets production. According to the principles of Metinvest strategy, the ecological policy is introduced inside the Works; sticking to its principles is compulsory for all employees, no matter what kind of duties they perform and what posts occupy.
During the last couple of years the new ecological policy in the sphere of environmental protection is successfully introduced at Northern GOK.
This is caused, first of all, by the revision of the primary ecological tasks by the Directorate and, as a consequence, by handling certification, environment-oriented work for achieving of conformity to the international standard ISO-14001, and later for achieving of conformity to the state ecological standard DSTU-14001. Conducted certifications allowed creating a certain ecological structure of management, to work out the strategy for decreasing the negative influence on the environment, and to specify tactical tasks.
Under the investment program, the reconstructions of gas cleaning equipment (electric filters) in Pelletizing Shop No.2 that allowed improving the condition of the atmospheric air have been performed at the Concern. Under these reconstructions full replacement of mechanic and electro-technical filters equipment has been conducted.
In 2010 the implementation of the unique technology of gas cleaning by the Swedish company “Alstom” was put into practice.
The first succession of spillway mechanism that allowed keeping dry beaches of the tailing dump humid was forced into application for keeping the level of the water in the tailing dump at the project mark.
By massive explosions in the quarries, nature-oriented measures, directed to decreasing of the emissions of contaminators into atmosphere (internal and external water stemming, decreasing outline charges, using explosives of Gramonit and Emonit types, and initiation system Nonel) are taken.
For water pool protection the enlargement (reconstruction) of the tail household and the system of reverse water supply is in the progress. The system of irrigation of dust-forming surfaces of the tail dump with the solution of natural bischofite is used for fixation of sludge depository sands. Application of the mentioned technology makes it possible to decrease the development pressure of the enterprise on the environment and also decrease dust emission by 350 tons.
Several years so far Northern GOK has been implementing the ecological program “Oasis” that involves large-scale planting of the territory of the Works. This program has been worked out together with the specialists of Krivoy Rog botanic garden.
“Oasis” program is directed to more than 4-time increase of the quantity of green plants on the industrial site and surrounding grounds of the Works, as well as creating recreational areas for the employees.
Under “Oasis” program the creation of the national park on the territory of the enterprise is planned for preservation and cultivation of rare species of plants and animals.