OREANDA-NEWS. A.S. Nefedov, Chairman of the Zaporozhye Regional Council, and O.M. Skvirsky, Chairman of the Standing Ecology Committee of the Regional Council, visited DSS at the end of March, 2007. The purpose of their visit was to inspect the progress of the Program on Overcoming the Ecological Crisis in Zaporozhye for the years 2001 through 2010 and agree on a time-frame for construction of waste disposal facilities., reported the press-centre of Dneprospetsstal.

In steel melting shop 2, the existing gas purification facility for non-controlled and industrial emissions caused by electric arc furnaces was demonstrated. Introduction of this facility decreased dust emissions by shop furnaces by more than 80% (from 750 to 150 tons per year). Thus, the environmental protection package for melting shop 2 was entirely implemented. Similar gas purification facilities are planned for steel melting shops 3 and 1. These would reduce harmful emissions by almost 2,000 tons per year within three years. To implement these projects already included in the company's investment plan, scheduling activities had to be coordinated with local authorities..

"About 8 million US dollars have been allocated for this purpose. Even now, Dneprospetstal's emissions account for less that 2% of the total pollution in Zaporozhye. But we won't stop there and we will continue to comply with all regulations, issued by local authorities. By 2010 our emissions will constitute less than 1%", said Daniel Valk, Chairman of the Board of the DSS. The shearing press commissioned at the Steel Mill in 2006 was also demonstrated during the visit. This equipment reduces the number of furnace charges required during the melting process, thus shortening the melting time and decreasing gas and dust emissions.

Environmental problems are of vital importance for the city and the region. Environmental programs adopted earlier came to a standstill in 2005 and the situation remained unchanged. Now the Regional Council, keenly aware of the gravity of the existing ecological situation, has decided to revitalize those programs.

We wanted to reach an agreement with the management of DSS in our joint efforts towards finding a compromise solution for ecological challenges. Today this mutual understanding exists. The management of Dneprospetstal has fully cooperated on every issue on the agenda.

They have already allocated significant funds for completion of reconstruction of gas purification and dust collection facilities. All our obligations will be defined in a tri-lateral agreement between the management of DSS, the Regional Council and the Regional State Administration, which we will sign. Now the wheels have been set in motion', stressed A.Nefedov, Chairman of the Zaporozhye Regional Council.

Implementation of the planned measures will allow DSS in 2010, the completion deadline of the Program on Overcoming the Ecological Crisis in Zaporozhye for the years 2001 through 2010, to fully comply with environmental requirements placed on European industrial companies.