MGZ separately, tailings fields separately? Mykolaiv region demands participation in the terms of sale

After the transfer of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant into state ownership, a legal conflict arose: the red sludge stored on the enterprise’s premises was not properly recorded in the official documents.

This was reported on the air of the program “Dialogue” on the TV channel “MART” said the chair of the permanent commission of the Mykolaiv Regional Council on ecology, environmental protection, rational use of natural resources, tourism and recreation, Alla Ryazhskykh. According to her, after the enterprise was transferred to the management of the State Property Fund, the documentation actually contained no information about the presence of red sludge on the sludge fields.

“Until June there was legally no red sludge on the sludge fields. If you look at the documents, the sludge fields were empty,” — the deputy said.

To correct the situation, regional representatives held negotiations with the State Property Fund. The issue was also raised during a visit to the enterprise by the Deputy Minister of Economy. According to Ryazhskykh, central government representatives had to be explained why the red sludge must be legally assigned to the sludge fields and not separated from the rest of the enterprise’s assets.

“For an hour and a half the director and I led them around the plant’s territory and explained that this cannot be done. A mechanism must be found that will return this sludge to the sludge fields,” she said.

So far the problem has been resolved: the red sludge is again reflected in the documents, equipment for servicing the sludge fields has been returned to the enterprise, and the sprinkler system continues to operate. At the same time, the deputy fears that during the preparation of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant (MAP) for privatization the plant and the sludge fields may end up in different lots. In that case the buyer would receive the production complex, while the responsibility for maintaining hazardous waste could remain with the state and the Mykolaiv region.

“The plant may be sold, and the sludge together with the sludge fields will remain, and we will be the ‘heirs’,” — noted Ryazhskykh.

Because of this, she sent a deputy appeal requesting that representatives of Mykolaiv region be included in the working group that will develop the terms of the enterprise’s sale. The deputy emphasized that she does not necessarily have to be the one personally, but any authorized representative of the regional authorities may join. In her view, the region’s participation is necessary to prevent the sale of the plant separately from the sludge fields and to determine in advance who will be responsible for their maintenance and environmental safety.

“I want to see the document, because I no longer trust words. So far I have not received a response to the appeal, but we will raise this issue again,” — summed up Alla Ryazhskykh.