OREANDA-NEWS. VEB Engineering (VEB Group) received a positive opinion of the State Environmental Expert Evaluation of the Russian Federal Service for Supervising Natural Resources Use on the project to eliminate negative impact of wastes accumulated as a result of the Baikal Integrated Pulp and Paper Mill’s (BPPM) activity.

The documentation submitted is recognized as being in line with environmental standards as well as technical procedures requirements and engineering surveys. According to the documentation there are plans to perform work on sub-slime waters treatment, slime lignin and ashes and slags encapsulation with subsequent burial under a fertile soil layer.

The project was developed as part of the Federal Target Program “Lake Baikal Conservation and Socio-Economic Development of the Baikal Natural Territory for 2012-2020 through the request of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The project’s total value is more than 6 billion rubles. In the near future, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is to hold a tender for the right to take measures for reclaiming the Mill’s wastes.

In February of 2013, VEB became a major creditor of the Pulp and Paper Mill by opening a credit line worth 3.6 billion rubles and redeeming the Mill’s debts from Alfa-Bank. In September of 2013, operations at the Mill were stopped and the work was started on mothballing the equipment. At present, slime-lignin storages occupy a territory of 175 hectares and contain about 6.2 million tons of slime-lignin. Waste disposal might take at least 6 years, given stable funding and uninterrupted operation of the Mill’s waste treatment facilities. There are plans to engage 424 former workers of the Mill for this activity.