A Russian appeals court has ordered Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company to assess the environmental impact of two major Arctic hydroelectric plants on local fish populations, reversing a lower court decision.
The ruling targets the Ust-Khantayskaya and Kureyskaya stations, which supply electricity to industrial operations in northern Siberia. The operator, a subsidiary of MMC Norilsk Nickel, has run the facilities for years without a formal assessment of their impact on the aquatic environment, according to the Krasnoyarsk regional prosecutor’s office.
Prosecutors argued that the dams alter river hydrology and that turbine operations injure fish during water intake and discharge. The lack of documented damage estimates had previously allowed the operator to avoid funding mitigation measures, such as artificial fish restocking or upgrading protection screens.
A lower court had initially rejected the lawsuit, ruling that the need for compensatory measures was unproven because prosecutors had not provided precise figures on fish mortality. The prosecutor’s office appealed, arguing that the lack of existing data should not exempt the company from conducting the study.
The appellate court accepted the prosecution’s arguments and ordered the energy company to calculate the loss of fish resources. The company must now submit its findings to federal regulators and develop a habitat restoration program.
