Yakutia Eliminates Kularskaya Mine's Tailings Pond, Two Remain
Two tailings ponds in Yakutia remain in the state register of accumulated damage: the Lebedinsky gold extraction factory and the Deputatsky mining and processing complex. Meanwhile, the Kularskaya mine's tailings pond has been successfully eliminated.
The Kularskaya mine operated from 1963 to 1990, leaving behind a tailings pond containing 0.38 million cubic meters of waste. The 'Ugolsky Law' mandates that owners of hazardous facilities must restore nature after enterprise closure, with penalties for non-compliance.
The 'Clean Country' project has now eliminated the Kularskaya gold extraction factory's tailings pond. The project began in 2021 and involved waste removal, equipment dismantling, and site cleanup, at a cost of over 800 million rubles. The pond was located in the sensitive zone of continuous permafrost, which is vulnerable to technogenic loads and has low restoration potential.
While the Kularskaya mine's tailings pond has been successfully eliminated, two others remain in Yakutia's state register. The 'Clean Country' project has shown progress, but further efforts are needed to address the remaining tailings ponds and their potential environmental impact.
