Russian mining giant reports another fuel spill in Arctic

A Russian mining giant reported another fuel spill in the Arctic on Sunday as the company faces an ongoing dispute with authorities over an oil spill from earlier this year. 

MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC reported a leak in a pipeline that occurred Sunday during a transfer of aviation field in the area of the settlement of Tukhard. 

The company said in statement that about 44.5 tons of fuel spilled as a result of depressurization that lasted about 15 minutes, according to preliminary data. 

The mining company said there are no threats to life and health of people in the territory and it would be conducting an internal investigation in connection with the incident. 

The company last week rejected a Russian watchdog’s estimate that an oil spill from earlier this year caused $2.1 billion in damage, Bloomberg reported. 

The company said it disagreed with the Federal Service for Supervision and its use of the highest damage coefficient, which assumes that the company did nothing to mitigate the spill, according to Bloomberg. 

In June the mining company spent more than 5 billion rubles on cleanup costs for the spill, Bloomberg reports. More than 33,000 tons of water and fuel mixture has been collected in the area and more than 172,000 tons of contaminated soil has been removed, according to the outlet.