Middle-Timan Bauxite Mining & Processing Project

Purpose of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessments

EBRD is considering to provide a loan of US$ 75 million alongside a similar loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to finance the initial development of the Komi Aluminium Project sponsored by Russian aluminium company, SUAL Group, which may ultimately comprise a bauxite mine, an alumina refinery and an aluminium smelter in the Komi Republic, Russian Federation.

This initial development to be financed by the EBRD will comprise:
(a) the expansion of the Middle-Timan bauxite mine up to a capacity of 6 million tonnes per annum; and
(b) appraisal studies for the Komi Aluminium Project as well as early infrastructure works in relation to the alumina refinery which may be constructed near Sosnogorsk, Komi Republic.

The environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) presently disclosed assesses the impact of:
(a) the ultimate expansion plan for the Middle-Timan bauxite mine to 6 million tonnes per annum as well as
(b) the early infrastructure works at the possible future refinery at Sosnogorsk.
This ESIA complements an environmental assessment of a limited mine expansion to 2.5 million tonnes per annum that was originally disclosed on 22 December 2003. The ESIA also comprises a public consultation and disclosure plan.

The ESIA for the ultimate mine expansion identifies two probable high-significance impacts on groundwater abstraction and fish diversity and population in a nearby river due to the need to dewater certain open pits and discharge the resulting volumes of water, starting in year 5 of the mine expansion (circa. 2011) and resulting in high volumes from year 9 (circa. 2015). The exact impact of dewatering remains to be assessed in detail and mitigation measures designed to the satisfaction of the Russian authorities and the EBRD in order to limit environmental impacts to acceptable levels. An appropriate and meaningful consultation will be held on this issue. The EBRD’s loan tranche intended to finance the mine expansion would not be disbursed until such water management plan has been designed and disclosed to the public to the EBRD’s satisfaction, which is anticipated to occur towards year end 2004.

The Project’s main objective is to support the development of state-of-the-art and competitive production capacity while ensuring that a best practice approach is implemented by SUAL Group in terms of environmental management and corporate governance.

 

There is a project summary document available for this project.

ESIA Summary

Executive summary in English (891KB - PDF), in Russian (704KB - PDF)
Early Works Assessment in English (487KB - PDF), in Russian (596KB - PDF)

Full ESIA availability

Full ESIA documentation is available locally at:
EBRD Headquarters in London, environmentandsocial@ebrd.com

And

Mine: Ms. Maria Kotova, Ecologist, Middle-Timan Bauxite Mine
Office: Prospekt Lenina 26 b, Ukhta, 169300, Tel. +7 82147 13204

Ukhta: Mr. Petr Novoselchenko, Deputy General Director of ZAO Komi Aluminium
Office: Prospekt Lenina 26 b, Ukhta, 169300, Tel. +7 82147 67342
or
Ms. Svetlana Strekalova, Library of Domestic Reading, Visitor’s Center
Office: Ul. Mira, 5, Ukhta, 169300, Tel. +7 82147 33546

 

Syktyvkar: Ms. Tatiana Evdokimova, Institute of Biology, Komi Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences
Office: Ul. Kommunisticheskaya, 28, Syktyvkar, 167982, Tel. +7 8212 241247

Emva: Ms. Natalia Kravchuk, City of Emva Administration, Visitor’s Center
Office: Ul. Dzerzhinskogo, 81, Emva, 169200, Tel. +7 82139 21033
or
Mr. Anatoly Shevelev, Head of Knyazhpogost District Environmental Protection Committee
Office: Ul. Dzerzhinskogo, 110, Emva, 169200, Tel. +7 82139 24977

Sosnogorsk: Elena Melekhina, Sosnogorsk District Administration, Visitor’s Center
Office: Ul. Zoi Kosmodemyankoi, 17, Sosnogorsk, 169500, Tel. +7 82149 54907

And

EBRD Moscow Resident Office, 36., ul. Bolshaya Molchanovka, Stroenie 1, 121069 Moscow
Contact: Alexander Filkine, Tel. +7 095 787 1111

And

SUAL’s web site (in English and in Russian)

Enquiries

Yegor Yurkin
Environmental Manager
Komi Aluminium, SUAL
71/9, Sadovnicheskaya St.
Moscow 115035
Russia
Tel. +7 095 504 0749
Fax: +7 095 504 0748
e-mail: e_yurkin@komial.ru