Federal emergency in the Russian Arctic, almost a week after a power plant dumped 21,000 tons of fuel
- The accident took place on 29 May in a thermoelectric power plant in the Siberian city of Norilsk and fuel has spread through land and rivers to the Arctic. The Putin government has opened an investigation and Greenpeace has compared the disaster with the Exxon Valdez accident in the area.
The Russian Government has taken almost a week to declare a federal state of emergency in the territories of Siberia and the Arctic, where Norilsk is located. The measure has been announced by the Russian Minister for the State of Emergency, Evgueni Zínichev, after meeting with President Vladimir Putin and other Russian leaders.
However, this delay, which took place on 29 May, has only increased the disaster. The Putin Government has opened an investigation to find out why the accident was not reported until two days after it occurred.
The Norils thermal power plant has discharged about 6,000 tonnes of diesel into the surrounding land and another 15,000 tonnes have been dispersed by the rivers. Government representatives have acknowledged that this is the greatest disaster ever in the Russian Arctic. The environmental organisation Greenpeace has gone further and compared it with the accident of the tanker Exxon Valdez, which in 1989 poured 37,000 tonnes of hydrocarbons into Alaska. The damage that the Arctic spill has caused to the environment has yet to be measured.
The authorities have committed to collecting the entire spillage in 14 days, although for the time being, they have reported, only 100 tons of fuel have been withdrawn and only 16 workers are working, although hundreds of new emergency personnel are expected to arrive. Norilsk is a city of 177,000 inhabitants, located inside the polar circle, in the krai or federal region of Krasnoyark.
The climate as a consequence of the emergency
According to those responsible for the plant, the accident was caused by the melting of frost or permafrost below the diesel store: “The warehouse was many years old and if works are made in the permafrost, it must be constantly looked at; the question is whether this has been done so,” the experts say.
The melting of Tundra’s land is accelerating due to climate change, and environmental groups believe that the organic matter under it will emit much more carbon into the atmosphere. But not only that, but also the infrastructures that are built on the permafrost can be greatly affected – the whole city of Norilsk is so built up – and the consequences are now being seen.
The diesel has mainly polluted the Ambarnaya River and have placed a large floating prey to prevent it from reaching the mouth of the sea. The river has a brown color.
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