For industrial Novokuznetsk, the topic of ecology has been and remains relevant, especially during periods of adverse weather conditions. At the instruction of the Governor of Kuzbass, ecological teams are tasked with inspecting all industrial enterprises in the city. Their objective is to assess how environmental protection measures are being implemented and to discuss further joint steps to improve the ecological situation.
The West Siberian Electrometallurgical Plant was the first stop on the ecological press tour. Its share in the total volume of city emissions amounts to 0.22 percent.
Representatives of the authorities, ecologists, and public activists walked from the charge preparation plant through the entire production chain. Special attention was paid to furnace No. 6, which was put into operation three months ago. The low-hood furnace is the most modern modification; its main advantage lies in the possibility of using dry gas cleaning. Bag filters ensure a high level of gas cleaning from solid particles — more than 99%.
"We operate using closed-cycle technology," explained Alexey Sidorov, General Director of West Siberian Electrometallurgical Plant LLC, during the tour. "There is no production waste at the plant. The dust captured by powerful gas cleaning systems is a valuable raw material for us; we briquette it and return it to production. We process slag into crushed stone, which we sell for road construction and concrete production. The water used for cooling equipment is looped in the system; we do not discharge anything into water bodies."
The most vivid impressions among the press tour participants were evoked by the beauty of the hot metal — the alloy tapping process is mesmerizing. The greatest interest, however, was in the furnace control panel. Everyone wanted to see the button that turns off the gas cleaning.
"Turning off the gas cleaning leads to the automatic shutdown of the furnace," explained Alexey Sidorov. "This is programmed by automation; even if we wanted to, we would not be able to change these parameters. And there is no reason to do so. If the gas cleaning system stops capturing the high-temperature gases coming from the furnace, they will accumulate inside, which could lead to a serious fire and a plant shutdown."
Upon completion of the press tour and discussion of relevant ecological issues, the participants shared their opinions.
"The West Siberian Electrometallurgical Plant began operations in 2012. Even then, it was the first enterprise with fully automatic emission control on its stacks. No one else had it yet. Today, according to a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, all Category 1 enterprises — including all our metallurgical plants — are required to introduce an automatic emission control system at their production facilities. Here, it has already been implemented," summarized Natalia Zhuravleva, head of the Public Ecological Council under the Novokuznetsk Administration.
The outcome of the meeting was summed up by the Head of the City of Novokuznetsk, Denis Ilyin: "This is one of the most modern enterprises; it was originally built with environmental standards in mind. Its share in citywide emissions is minimal overall. Speaking of Novokuznetsk as a whole, since the 'Clean Air' program began, we have already reduced gross emissions by 18 percent, and emissions of hazardous substances by 33 percent. The goal is to reduce gross emissions by 25 percent by the end of next year. This must be achieved not only by enterprises but also by public transport, the private sector, and boiler houses — they need to be converted to gas. When the work is carried out comprehensively, I am sure that people will feel the improvement in the ecological situation not only on paper but in real life."