OREANDA-NEWS. On June 02, 2008 following the initiative of senior management of Azovstal Plant (Metinvest Group), a new updated environment protection and improvement program in Mariupol was approved, reported the press-centre of Azovstal Plant.

The program was finalized with due regard to the latest development and modernization plans of the biggest enterprises of the city, and endorsed by the city council. The document was discussed at an international academic and research conference on environment. The program will result in air emission cuts by around 53,000 per year, while production output will go up.

Following the initiative of Azovstal, the city program was reviewed to take into account cutting-edge practice of modernizing production facilities and improving purification equipment. The new version of the document was approved during a regular session of the city council.

The joint approach of business and city authorities to tackle this task helped coordinate activity of industrial and utility enterprises of the city and adopt more environmentally-friendly processes.

Investment projects of Azovstal that make a part of the comprehensive program for modernization and reconstruction of production facilities and provide for a huge environmental effect won a positive feedback from conference delegates. So, this year 25 units of Azovstal will implement projects to reduce man-caused footprint on the environment.

The projects to be realized in the blast furnace workshop alone will cut dust emissions by 700 tonnes/year, CO - by 1045.7 tonnes/year, and waste generation - by 43,300 tonnes/year. The comprehensive program to modernize and reconstruct Azovstal includes installing the latest purification equipment at all metal machines. So-called "environmental investments" total around 20% of the overall investments allocated on modernization of production cycles.

The conference was attended by representatives of national ministries and agencies, environmental and R&D institutions, mining and metal businesses of Ukraine, Mariupol city authorities, and such well-known western companies as ION Blast (Finland), TURBOFILTER (Germany), and Siemens (Austria). They all said the conference was held just on time for the domestic mining and metal business.

Director of ION Blast Timmo Zeppelle believes the initiative of Azovstal and Mariupol executive authorities to coordinate efforts will help stabilize and improve environmental condition in one of the major industrial centres of Ukraine.