Phosphorus Finding in Kingisepp Discussed Today

7 February 2012, St. Petersburg, Russia – Today, representatives of EuroChem, the owner of the ‘Phosphorit’ fertilizer plant, will meet authorities and experts in Kingisepp, Russia. The aim is to continue the fact finding mission within the plant’s area to gather more information on the high nutrient load found in the River Luga and its specific source. Furthermore, a plan will be outlined for continuing the investigation, if needed, and taking the next steps together with the plant, international financial institutions and the Russian authorities. HELCOM’s BALTHAZAR project, under which the samplings leading to the finding were taken, will remain a platform for further work to address this significant pollution.   

For the visit, the EuroChem management has invited representatives of HELCOM’s BALTHAZAR Project, NEFCO and the Ministries of Environment of Finland and Russia, accompanied by other Russian experts and authorities.

“It’s encouraging that the plant’s management is ready to jointly assess the reasons behind the recent findings on high phosphorus loads in the River Luga. The main responsibility to manage the situation lies within the plant and the Russian authorities. I’d also like to stress that the reliability of environmental and pollution load data is the foundation for effective actions in the protection of the Baltic Sea,” explains Kristiina Isokallio, Director, Ministry of the Environment, Finland.

“The industrial area related to fertiliser production, including the waste deposits, will be jointly assessed and further samplings taken so that more light will be shed on the source of the high phosphorus loads. Clarity will be indispensable for identifying the necessary measures to control the situation swiftly,” says Kaj Forsius, BALTHAZAR Project Manager, HELCOM.

“There are techniques and solutions available to mitigate pollution from fertiliser production which can be offered for fast track implementation in order to significantly reduce the discharges of nutrients,” says Senior Manager Karl-Johan Lehtinen, Head of the environmental unit at the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation.

The recent findings that revealed a significant load of phosphorus in the River Luga flowing into the Gulf of Finland is the result of the collaboration within the BALTHAZAR project, funded by the EU. The project’s Steering Group meeting on 18 January, co-chaired by a representative from the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, supported the plans to use BALTHAZAR as a platform to continue the investigation immediately. It was decided to carry out this investigation together with the responsible authorities and other project stakeholders in order to obtain a more complete picture of the nutrient inputs and help take the necessary measures.

The process is being closely followed up and the progress will be reviewed at the next annual HELCOM meeting on 6 – 7 March 2012.

For background and updates, please go to:

http://www.helcom.fi/projects/on_going/balthazar/en_GB/river_Luga/

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The EU-funded BALTHAZAR project supports Russia in the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan, including the improvement of pollution load data contributing to HELCOM assessments. The availability of pollution load data for all coastal states is crucial to target the most cost-effective measures to reduce nutrient loading in the frame of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP). This new finding contributes important information to the currently ongoing review of the BSAP nutrient reduction targets and reporting at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in 2013.

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), is an intergovernmental organisation of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Community working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1972, HELCOM has been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention.

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For further information, please contact:

Mr. Kaj Forsius

Project Manager

BALTHAZAR / HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)46 8509212

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 645

E-mail: kaj.forsius@helcom.fi

Mr. Leonid Korovin

St. Petersburg Public Organization "Ecology and Business"

P.O. Box 66

RU-197 342 St. Petersburg, Russia

Tel: +7 812 430 6860

Fax: +7 812 430 9305

E-mail: korovinl@helcom.ru

Ms. Johanna Laurila

Information Secretary

HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)40 523 8988

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 645

E-mail: johanna.laurila@helcom.fi

HELCOM