From July 2026, the processing of the cake of the cinder of copper sludge, previously carried out in Norilsk, will completely move to the Kola site in Monchegorsk. This solution will allow Norilsk Nickel to optimize the production chain, increase the efficiency of extraction of precious metals and reduce costs.
"The Murmansk Region has become the palladium capital of the world. Now 100% of Norilsk Nickel's precious metals are produced in our region. Globally, this is 40% of all palladium produced," said Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region. — What this gives the region: the workload of the largest enterprise in the region is growing, which means that the number of new jobs will grow; investments remain here on Kola land, which means that even more opportunities for development are opening up."
The key advantage of the new approach was technological rationalization: in Monchegorsk, the production cycle of precious metal concentrates is significantly shorter, and the level of work—in-progress is lower.
To implement the project, a large‑scale modernization of the chemical and metallurgical workshop was carried out at the Kola MMC. Specialists replaced the calcination furnaces, filters, storage equipment, pumping stations and pipelines. The total investment in the renovation of the production infrastructure amounted to about 500 million rubles. At the same time, all work was carried out during the periods of technological windows and scheduled shutdowns, which made it possible to avoid significant downtime and maintain the stability of the production rhythm.
The project pays special attention to the environmental component: modern solutions for gas purification have been introduced, designed to minimize the impact on the environment.
"It is important that modernization is carried out without stopping production and with an emphasis on environmental safety — this approach sets the right development vector for the entire mining and metallurgical industry in the Arctic zone," said Svetlana Panfilova, Deputy Governor and Minister of Arctic Development and Economy of the Murmansk Region. "The consolidation of precious metals production in Monchegorsk not only strengthens the Murmansk Region's position as one of the key centers of non—ferrous metallurgy, but also creates long-term prospects for economic growth and improving the quality of life of northerners."
/Ministry of Arctic Development and Economy of the Murmansk Region/