In 2007, investments in environmental projects at NLMK’s production site in Lipetsk exceeded RUR1.5 billion, including over RUR1 billion allocated to the construction and upgrade of environmental facilities, implementation of resource-saving and low-waste technologies.

The implementation of these environmental projects helped to reduce gross emissions by 8,000 tonnes (2.5%), decreased water withdrawal from the Voronezh river by 1.4 million m3 (2%), and diminished the discharge of water pollutants with industrial effluents by 0.7 thousand tonnes (7%) compared to the previous year. Accumulated waste shrank by 220,000 tonnes due to waste recycling.

In rolling production, obsolete GO electrical steel pickling lines were equipped with a set of modern chemical units for the recovery and recycling of hydrochloric acid. Resource-saving technologies were implemented at coke battery #2 and Blast Furnace #5 where coke dry quenching dust-free charge unit s were installed. In the ferroalloy production facility gas cleaning plant was refurbished. Several units of the heat and power plant and water supply shop underwent major overhauls.

This year, NLMK will complete the upgrade of its process water supply system. Implementation of this project will allow  effluent discharge into the Voronezh river to be reduced by 15 times, and river water consumption to be diminished by 4.5 times compared to 2007.