Verkhoyansk residents back modern repair workshop at Prognoz deposit

Public hearings were successfully held in the village of Batagay on the design of Repair-Mechanical Workshop No. 2 (RMM-2) at the Prognoz deposit in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). Participants approved the project after the discussions. Denis Safransky, managing director of Prognoz-Serebro LLC, said the meeting was held to discuss the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and to receive feedback from the public.

The new workshop is needed because the existing repair shop is located in a small room, which limits the quality of equipment servicing. The facility will allow both planned and major maintenance and will include service bays, a welding section, a turning shop, a compressor room, a washing bay and administrative and domestic rooms. The project includes modern ventilation equipment, soundproofed rooms for noisy equipment, a closed-loop water supply system and proper waste management.

Marina Nikulinskaya, engineer-ecologist of Progress-Paritet-Project LLC, the contractor that carried out the assessment, said the facility will be built within a previously developed site, that the total catchment area will not change and that groundwater will not be affected. All waste will be neutralised, transferred to specialised organisations and stored in closed containers. The project was deemed acceptable, and the company was asked to consider proposals on strengthening environmental protection.