Russia’s Nornickel Spends Over $13 Million Since 2020 to Support Indigenous People of Taymyr

Over the past four years, Russian miner Nornickel has invested 1.3 billion rubles ($13.25 million at current rates) to support the indigenous peoples of the Taymyr Peninsula in the Arctic, the company said this week.

This sum is part of a 5-year programme worth 2 billion rubles aimed ao supporting traditional activities, protect the native habitat, and build homes, hospitals, roads and tourist facilities in Taymyr. The list of these social projects had been planned with the participation of indigenous peoples.

“The programme is ahead of schedule in terms of construction of residential and infrastructure facilities, as well as cultural events. In addition, the programme is expanding every year, both through increased funding and the addition of new projects relevant to indigenous peoples,” Vasily Zakharov, the chief manager of Nornickel’s regional programmes department, said.

To ensure that the money is spent wisely, the programme is coordinated and advised by regular meetings of the coordination council of the Taymir’s indigenous communities. In four years, the council has grown from 11 to 60 communities.

Recently, a medical center was opened in the village of Volochanka and the keys to new houses were handed over to four residents of the village. Since the start of the support programme, Nornickel has built a total of 15 rural houses and three medical stations with temporary housing for doctors in the villages of Ust-Avam, Volochanka, and Ust-Port.

Nornickel also bought and renovated flats in Dudinka for 15 orphans, installed the internet and bought computers for 11 schools in Taimyr. Nornickel financed the renovation of houses in the villages of Kresty, Popigai, and Ust-Avam. In addition, the company will soon build cultural centers in the villages of Volochanka, Nosok and Kheta.

As many as 300 million rubles were directed for preparations for the hunting and fishing season. Nonickel-sponsored scientists are studying and counting fish in water bodies of the Yenisei and Khatanga river basins to determine whether commercial fishermen can count on additional fishing quotas.