Nornickel’s current production at Harjavalta employs approximately 300 people directly. This expansion will bring 10 to 20 new jobs in the region. In the first stage, we mainly eliminate bottlenecks in the production process and plan to increase production.
Subsequent increases in production will require the construction of new solvent buildings, the expansion of extraction and activated carbon filtration plants, and the site of solution storage and loading.
We also plan to expand the container storage area and establish a new copper slag storage and packaging area.
The company’s activities will not expand beyond the boundaries of the industrial zone, but will expand within the industrial complex. The largest construction project will be a solvent-based building of approximately 3,500 square meters, said Marko Mikkola, development director of Nornickel Harjavalta at EHSQ.
The company plans to double the container storage space as this expansion increases the number of raw material containers. The increase in container transport is also provided by the planned expansion of the Harjavalta rail yard.
A notable feature of the Nornickel Harjavalta extension, according to the company, is that when production doubles, the environmental impact remains at its current level.
According to Mikola, one of the starting points for expansion is that emissions will not increase, but will remain within the limits of current environmental permits.
Raw material flow will also increase, but will remain within current permit limits.
“Recycled materials will also play a major role in raw materials in the next few years,” says Miccola.
The transportation of raw lye can also be seen outside the fence of the industrial zone. Demand for lye will increase from 52,000 tonnes per year to an estimated 60,000 tonnes. It is transported by truck from the port.
Instead, sulfuric acid, oxygen and nitrogen are supplied from within the site.
Similarly, the amount of pyrite from waste is expected to double.
Comments and comments on the Nornickel Harjavalta program can be submitted to the Southwestern Finland Environmental Center until June 30th.
After that, the ELY Center will announce its own opinion by the end of July.
