MMC Norilsk Nickel has initiated construction on a cobalt production line, creating the only Russian source of cobalt electrolyte. Specialists from the Gipronickel Institute, Norilsk Nickel’s research center, determined that a cobalt production line at Kola MMC’s Monchegorsk industrial facility would be feasible.

The capacity and efficiency of the project were confirmed with a pilot scale cobalt recovery unit at Kola MMC where, starting from 2007, a small volume of cobalt electrolyte has been produced through the use of state-of-the-art technology. According to Sergey Selyandin, general director, Kola MMC, the new investment project is technically and economically impressive. He expects a quick payback on the project. Construction on the RUB 2 billion ($65 million) project should be completed by 2014.

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