The smelter is a part of the Polar Divisions's (PD) concentration-metallurgical chain. The technological circuit of the factory is based on processing of initial copper- and nickel-containing sulphidic raw material into pure commodity copper with maximum extraction of nickel, cobalt, precious, platinum and rare metals in accompanying sub-products.  The plant consists of three main producing shops: Drying shop, Smelting shop and Copper electrolysis shop.  The smelter produces electrolytically refined copper and elemental sulphur from ore raw material, sub-products and tailings of other structural units of Polar Division. The factory provides all PD's enterprises with the sulphuric acid made from exhaust gases of Vanyukov furnaces.  The basic raw material for the factory is the copper concentrate from Norilsk concentrator and also ore of selective extraction from "Octyabrsky" mine.

Finished product is cathodic copper ?1?, ?0? and ?00? marks in accordance to GOST 859 and GOST 546. On a surface of cathodes should not be easily separated dendritic outgrowths and outgrowths porous copper. The surface of cathodes and cathodis lugs should be well washed from electrolyte and not to have nickel and copper sulfate deposits. Cathode copper and technical sulfur are finished products of the plant. Sulfuric acid, nickel vitriol, mother waters solution, copper slime and nickel slag are semi-finished products intended for further use at the other works of Polar Division.Byproduct of the smelter is manufacture of sulfuric acid only for needs of the combine, and elemental sulfur as the second end product. The process flowsheet of the plant is closely connected to the process flowsheet of the combine; ready production of the mines and concentrating mills and semifinished products of Nickel melter and Nadezhda , are raw components for Copper smelter and vice versa.Setting into operation the new capacities in 2001 is connected to the planned start-up of two-zoned furnace equal in capacity to two Vanjukov’s furnaces.

The increase of elemental sulfur manufacture at the expense of reconstruction of one of the processing lines is stipulated in the plan.
In the long term construction of the covered warehouse of river sand, construction of two-zoned Vanjukov’s furnace, change of smelting shop technology with transitions to converter matte melting.

The smelter has the programme of reconstruction of basic divisions to decrease production costs, the number of employees, to solve ecological problems connected to copper producing. There is a project of the reconstruction plan of anodic branch implying purchasing of import casting machines, replacement of stationary furnaces by rotary and reconstruction of copper electrolysis shop with increasing of the useful area of electrolytic baths.

• OJSC Giprogazootchistka (Russia),
• Techint S.p.A.  (Italy),
• Samsung Engineering Co. Ltd. (Republic of Korea).

• Construction and installation of waste gases deep dust separation systems at flash furnace of NMP and Vanukov furnace of CP.
• Construction of waste gases SO2 concentration units at flash furnace of NMP and Vanukov furnace of CP.
• Overhaul of sulphur utilization units at NMP and CP so that all of the concentrated SO2 can be processed and elementary sulphur be produced;
• Construction of converter waste gases cooling, dust separation and SO2 concentration systems with further transformation into elementary sulphur at sulphur utilization units of the Copper Plant with the objective to produce elementary sulphur.

October 24, 2011 - MMC Norilsk Nickel JSC has begun to review bids coming from Russian and international companies which took part in international tender for implementation of state of the art sulfur dioxide recovery at Copper Plant and Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant.  The tender was posted in February 2011 and bid submitting deadlines were postponed twice following requests of the participants. Initially, around 15 Russian and international companies applied for participation in the tender.  By October 17th 2011, the final deadline, technical and commercial offers were submitted by 5 participants comprising both Russian and international companies. The offers include recovery of at least 95% of sulfur dioxide from metallurgical off gases at CP and NMP. Together with the currently implemented project aimed at increase of NMP capacity and shut down of agglomeration and smelting areas at Nickel Plant, this should lead to considerable decrease of sulfur dioxide emission into atmosphere.

It is expected that the chosen contractor shall provide the following:

1. Installation of NMP flash furnaces and CP Vanyukov furnaces off gases dust fine cleaning systems

2. Construction NMP flash furnaces and CP Vanyukov furnaces off-gases sulfur dioxide concentration units

3. Reconstruction of NMP and CP sulfur recovery lines securing the treatment of all concentrated sulfur dioxide and production of elementary sulfur

4. Construction of converter off-gases sulfur dioxide cooling, dust cleaning, and concentration systems with subsequent treatment (to elementary sulfur) at CP sulfur recovery lines 

The annual production volume of commercial sulfur in the Company's Polar Division shall exceed 900,000 tonnes. Furthermore, off gases shall be used as the raw material for production of sulfuric acid for copper and nickel electrolysis ships, and for production of sulfuric reagent for concentration purposes. Off gases dust fine cleaning systems shall provide for considerable decrease of nonferrous metal particles emission into atmosphere.  Expert team that includes representatives of Polar Division, Gipronickel Institute, and Head Office of the Company, has begun to review the technical and commercial offers. It is expected that the contractor shall be chosen by December 15th 2011, at the latest.

March 2, 2011 -  OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel (hereinafter – MMC Norilsk Nickel or the Company) will decrease SO2 emissions (main factor of the Company’s industrial pollution) as part of program aimed at gradual decrease of air emissions of Company’s metallurgical production facilities located in Norilsk (Polar Division of the Company).  In order to implement the program, MMC Norilsk Nickel posted international tender for a set of works related to implementation of state-of-the-art technologies of SO2 recovery at Copper Plant (CP) and Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (NMP). Once implemented new technologies shall provide for recovery of at least 95% of SO2 from CP and NMP waste gases. Together with on-going project of NMP capacity enhancement and liquidation of agglomeration and smelting areas at Nickel Plant, this shall result in dramatic decrease of SO2emissions to the atmosphere.   It is planned that the contractor chosen via tender shall perform the following:  

• Construction and installation of waste gases deep dust separation systems at flash furnace  of NMP and Vanukov furnace of CP. 

• Construction of waste gases SO2 concentration units at flash furnace of NMP and  Vanukov furnace of CP.  

• Overhaul of sulphur utilization units at NMP and CP so that all of the concentrated SO2 can  be processed; 

• Construction of converter waste gases cooling and  dust separation system, converter  waste gases SO2 concentration unit, and concentrated SO2 feed to interim storage tanks  and sulphur utilization units system. 

The annual volume of commercial sulphur production in Polar Division of the Company shall be over 900 thousand tons. Furthermore, the waste gases shall also be converted into sulphuric acid for copper and nickel electrolysis shops, and into sulphur-containing reagent for concentration area. The installation of waste gases dust cleaning systems shall provide for significant decrease of non-ferrous metals emissions.  The works shall be performed on the “turn-key” basis. Deadline for submitting a technical and commercial proposal is 30.06.2011. The works at both plants should start on 01.12.2011.