Russian mining giant agrees to pay £1.4 billion in damages for Arctic’s largest fuel spill Some 20,000 tonnes of diesel fuel leaked into the river system after a tank at Nornickel's power plant in Norilsk collapsed last May 19 February 2021 • 11:52am Norilsk, home of most of Nornickel's assets, has been plagued by industrial incidents and stunning levels of pollution Credit: Maria Turchenkova/Telegraph Russian industrial giant Nornickel has agreed to pay a whopping £1.4 billion in damages for what has been described as the Arctic’s largest fuel spill. Nornickel, the London-traded largest producer of nickel and palladium in the world, initially played down the scale of the disaster and blamed it on the thaw of permafrost.