Post-war modernisation of the plant began.

Norilsk received the status of a city, with the plant accounting for 35% of nickel, 12% of copper, 30% of cobalt, and 90% of PGMs in the Soviet Union’s total output.

Talnakhskoye, the world’s largest deposit of copper-nickel ores, was discovered, providing new impetus to the plant’s expansion. First high-purity cobalt was also produced in Norilsk.

Norilsk Plant was declared an All-Union Komsomol Accelerated Construction Project.

The Oktyabrskoye deposit was discovered, and first ore was mined from the Talnakh cluster. Norilsk Plant was awarded the Order of Lenin.

The Dudinka port acquired its first 100-tonne floating crane capable of handling extra-heavy loads.

The first power unit of Talnakhskaya CHPP was commissioned, providing the energy to fuel the rapid growth of the metals and mining assets.

The first train carrying ore was dispatched from Komsomolsky Mine to Norilsk. The mine became a testing ground for new underground mining and construction technologies that shaped the further development of mining operations in Norilsk.

Construction of Talnakh Concentrator commenced.

The first stage of Oktyabrsky Mine came online.

The first stage of Talnakh Concentrator was commissioned. Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant was put on stream.

Taimyrsky Mine was brought into production.

Norilsk Nickel was transformed from a state concern into a joint stock company. The change in legal form became one of the key steps in the Company’s adaptation to market conditions.

The Company was restructured, with shareholders of RJSC Norilsk Nickel exchanging 96.9% of their stock to shares in MMC Norilsk Nickel. Company shares were listed on the RTS and MICEX stock exchanges, and in June, the Company started issuing ADRs.

Nornickel obtained a follow-up exploration licence for the Maslovskoye deposit and four years later entered its reserves into the government books as follows: 728 kt of nickel, over 1.1 mln t of copper, 12.5 Moz of platinum, and 1.3 Moz of gold.
All of the Company’s gold mining assets were spun off into OJSC Polyus Gold.

The Company created its own unique icebreaker fleet with vessels being the first ones in the history of Arctic shipping to be classified as Arc7 ice class. This enabled reliable year-round logistics in the Arctic and strengthened the resilience of export shipments.

The Board of Directors adopted a new development strategy focused on the Company’s Tier 1 production assets on the Taimyr and Kola Peninsulas.

The Company divested its international and non-core assets, including operations in Western Australia as well as stakes in energy companies.

The Company shut down its outdated Nickel Plant, driving a 35% reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions within Norilsk. The second stage of Talnakh Concentrator was put into pilot operation in Norilsk. The concentrator’s capacity was increased to 10 mtpa of ore.

The Company launched Bystrinsky GOK, the largest greenfield project in the Russian metals and mining industry.

The Company embarked on the Sulphur Project, Nornickel’s environmental initiative to dramatically reduce sulphur dioxide emissions in the Norilsk Industrial District.

The Company became the title sponsor of the 29th Winter Universiade.

Bystrinsky GOK reached its design mining capacity of 10 mtpa of ore while demonstrating high operational efficiency levels.
As part of the Sulphur Project, the smelting shop in Nikel was shut down, eliminating sulphur dioxide emissions in areas along the Russian border.

The metallurgical shop at the Kola site was shut down. As a result of all initiatives taken, sulphur dioxide emissions on the Kola Peninsula fell sevenfold.
The Company’s Environmental and Climate Change Strategy was approved.

Construction commenced on the Sulphur Project’s core facilities at Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant.
The Company’s Buildings and Structures Monitoring Centre was established in Norilsk to monitor the state of permafrost, ensuring the safe and reliable operation of facilities amid climate change.

The Sulphur Project was launched at Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant with the commissioning of the project’s first process line.
The Company published its inaugural Climate Change Report, comprehensively disclosing its climate risks and adaptation measures.

The Sulphur Project’s second process line was launched, resulting in the recovery of about 390 kt of sulphur dioxide by the end of the year.
A single publicly accessible air quality monitoring system was launched in Norilsk, providing round-the-clock monitoring across different districts of the city.

The Sulphur Project at Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant advanced, reducing sulphur dioxide emissions by another 489 kt.
Gas cleaning facilities were commissioned at the Kola site, cutting emissions and enabling valuable components to be returned to production.