The Norilsk industrial hub, located on the Taimyr Peninsula in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, is one of the largest mining and metal production complexes in the world. Despite the fact that it is located beyond the Arctic Circle and the climate here is very severe, almost 200 thousand people live in the settlements serving enterprises.
Development history
The first traces of ore mining in the area of the Norilsk industrial site date back to the Bronze Age - raw materials and simple tools for smelting were found near Lake Pyasino. And in the XVI-XVII centuries, not far from here was the city of Mangazeya, whose inhabitants developed deposits of copper. But the closure of the Northern Sea Route led to its decline.
In the 20s of the XX century, the famous explorer Nikolai Nikolaevich Urvantsev conducted a number of expeditions and confirmed the presence of large mineral reserves in the area. The hut built by him in 1921 is considered the first house of Norilsk and is preserved as a museum.
In view of the discovery of large reserves of natural resources, in 1935 a decision was made to begin their development. Norillag was organized, whose prisoners became the main labor force. Gulag prisoners built factories, adits, infrastructure and homes. By 1941, in the conditions of permafrost, they had built an airport, a railway, 4 factories, dug up 6 mines and several quarries. The correctional camp was closed in 1956, and the further development of the territory of the Norilsk industrial region (NPR) continued without the use of prison labor.
Natural conditions
The natural conditions of the Norilsk industrial hub are very difficult for permanent residence. This region has a subarctic climate: winters are snowy and cold, lasts almost 9 months, and summers are short. The average July temperature does not exceed 15 degrees. Moreover, the snow in the summer months does not surprise local residents. Under such conditions, the soil never warms up, and permafrost leaves a serious imprint on the technology of building construction.
Also on the vast territory around the Norilsk industrial hub there are almost no trees, although when the enterprises were just starting to build, there were dense taiga forests. Now only shrubs are preserved in small numbers. This is due primarily to severe air pollution. In cities in recent years, trees of metal have been installed, in which instead of leaves there are LEDs.
The geographical location of the Norilsk industrial hub has another natural feature - polar days and nights. From May 19 to July 25, the sun does not set, and in winter it only dawns for 2-3 hours. The need to constantly use artificial lighting not only increases energy consumption, but also puts pressure on the mental state of people. To compensate for this harm, as well as the lack of greenery in cities, houses in Norilsk are painted in bright colors.
The main mineral resources of the NPR
A huge amount of resources is mined in the Norilsk region: copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum, gold, silver, palladium, iridium, rhodium and others. In the process of purification and processing of ores also emit: sulfur and sulfuric acid, selenium and tellurium. In addition, at the moment, not all discovered natural resources of the Norilsk industrial hub are being developed, and geologists continue to research.
Despite the fact that the population of cities in the NPR is constantly decreasing, enterprises continue to develop, and the state’s interest in minerals on the Taimyr Peninsula does not decrease.
Region specialization
The largest city is Norilsk. It was with its construction that the development of the area began. A little more than 100 thousand people live here. The Copper Plant, an enrichment factory adjoins the city, and a mine is located 3 kilometers away. In 2005, all other settlements were deprived of their status and entered the urban district of Norilsk as its districts.
The second largest district in the Norilsk industrial hub is Talnakh, it is 25 km from the center. Its population is about 50 thousand people. Construction began here in 1960 after the discovery of a large deposit of copper-nickel ore. Its development is still ongoing.
In third place is Kayerkan with a population of about 25 thousand people, which was also annexed to Norilsk. The village was built near the mines, where coal mining was conducted. However, already in the 70s of the last century, NPR enterprises switched to gas fuel, and the volume of resource extraction was greatly reduced. The area was not empty due to the opening of the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant a few kilometers from it .
Also in the urban district includes the village of Snezhnogorsk, whose population serves the Ust-Khantai Hydroelectric Power Station, and Oganer, where a hospital with 1000 beds is located.
The problems of the region
The inconvenient geographical location of the Norilsk industrial hub causes many problems, the main of which is transport accessibility. The area has no land connections with other cities, with the exception of the large seaport of Dudinka, located 90 kilometers. It is here that the main water transport artery passes - the Yenisei River, through which the bulk of the cargo goes to other regions. The main passenger traffic is carried by planes departing from the Alykel airport. They deliver goods when navigation on the Yenisei is closed.
Another serious problem of the Norilsk industrial hub is the high level of pollution. Pipes of factories annually emit a huge amount of sulfur dioxide, phenols, particles of heavy metals into the atmosphere. The scale is so large that Norilsk has been on the list of the most polluted cities on the planet for many years, and enterprises pay compensation to Canada for air poisoning in its territory.