Accident in Solikamsk: the possible consequences for Uralkalii
Last week the flooding at the 3rd largest by capacity mine of Uralkalii started – SKRU-2. There no exact assessments of real scales of losses, threat for the population and regional infrastructure. The experience of previous accidents shows that they are brewing for a few months or even years, denying any forecasts. But a list of risks is already clear. The company will evidently lose the mine providing about 20% of extraction and won’t be able to cover it soon. Its full flooding may lead to the sinkhole and surface subside for the neighboring regions, the main car and rail roads, gas pipeline but the possibility is not high. The main threat is the leakage in the box hole between SKRU-2 and SKRU-1 near Solikamsk. Meanwhile experts assess the possibility of such a scenario at not more than 10%. But this is a risk of a serious social and production catastrophe.
On Tuesday, November 18th, at about 5 p.m. Uralkalii reported of an accident at SKRU-2 in Solikamsk. The brine flow strengthened, the works were shut down, personnel evacuated, the mine cut off power. Another 4 mines in Berezniki and Solikamsk, according to Uralkalii, work in a regular mode. The exact volume of the brine is not mentioned but it is said to reach 8-10 thousand cubic m an hour at the peak flow, but to Thursday it fell to 5 thousand cubic m. according to the head of the Mining Institution of the Ural division of RAN, A. Baryakh, by Friday the water flow speed didn’t exceed 2 thousand cubic m an hour. Yesterday sources of Kommersant assured that the brine doesn’t almost leak into the mine but its flow started in late October –early November though very strong. According to Mr. Baryakh, SKRU-2 is now working in the emergency mode, specialists enter the mine by a special permission.
The first visible consequences of the accident were seen on November 18th – the sinkhole 3.5 km to the east of SKRU-2. There are about 1.9 km to the nearest multi-storied buildings on the Metallurgists street, about 6 km to the large building estate Krasnoye. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the size of the hole is 20m*30m (according to other sources – 30m*40m). The area of the sinkhole is closed off. According to the local citizens, the sinkhole took place at the gardeners’ partnership “Klyuchiki”, 3 houses collapsed. The gardens are not inhabited after 1995, so there are no problems. And if anyone has questions concerning their property, Uralkalii will settle them, the head of the Government of the Perm region, G. Tushnolobov, told Kommersant. The mayor of Solikamsk, S. Devyatkov, is even more optimistic: “The larger part of gardeners left the place long ago, when the hole is full of water, it will turn into a lake and it will be a perfect place to relax”, he thinks. The owners of gardens in the village Klyuchiki say that the gardens are considered to be left but the owners attended the gardens in the summer.
