Current Trends, Regulator's Vector, Changes from 2026

Ecology as Part of Economic Policy: Why Fee Rates Are Rising

In 2025, the industry faced a massive reform in the area of payments for negative environmental impact (NEI). As Sergey German, Head of Environmental Protection at a large mining company, notes, the state is changing its approach to environmental fees. While ecology was not previously considered a profitable area, a multiple increase in rates is planned by 2030. For emissions and discharges, a median increase of almost 23 times is expected, and for MSW — almost 9 times. The speaker emphasizes that government agencies attribute the slowdown in collections in previous years to insufficient indexation of rates, while enterprises have learned to reduce payments more effectively through production modernization.

Six Steps to Optimize Environmental Payments

Given the multiple growth in NEI fee rates, enterprises need to reconsider their approaches to budgeting and accounting. The presentation details practical steps that will help minimize financial risks:

• Revising the five-year plan: it is necessary to honestly assess the real negative impact based on actual production indicators, not just data for Rosprirodnadzor. This will help understand how the new rates will affect operational efficiency.
• Abandoning standard payments: calculations based on outdated declarations can lead to colossal overpayments when rates increase tens of times. Transitioning to calculation methods using actual data is a critical step.
• Optimizing equipment operation: working together with technologists to select optimal operating modes for installations will help reduce the volume of emissions and discharges.
• Detailing waste accounting: proper identification and separation of MSW into components allows some waste to be recycled rather than disposed of, which significantly reduces payments.
• Strengthening financial discipline: regular reconciliation of calculations with Rosprirodnadzor and control of accounts receivable prevent the loss of funds due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
• Automating calculations: abandoning Excel in favor of specialized software systems increases calculation accuracy and reduces the risk of errors.

Judicial Practice and Protecting Enterprise Interests

Using a real case as an example, the speaker shows how a lack of financial discipline and an unwillingness to conflict with government agencies can lead to the loss of tens of millions of rubles. An enterprise that overpaid a significant amount could not return the funds due to lengthy litigation over other accruals and the expiration of the statute of limitations. To avoid such situations, it is recommended to:

• Not be afraid to go to court in the absence of a constructive dialogue with a government agency — this shifts the responsibility for decision-making to the judicial authority.
• Timely clarify payment orders in case of an imbalance between the BCC and OKTMO.
• Quarterly confirm accruals with reconciliation acts with Rosprirodnadzor.
• Maintain a detailed database of all payments, indicating all details and types of impact.

What You Will Learn from This Webinar:

• How will the rates of payment for negative environmental impact change by 2030?
• Why is paying according to the standard becoming financially dangerous for an enterprise?
• What steps will help optimize waste accounting and reduce MSW payments?
• How to properly build financial discipline in interaction with Rosprirodnadzor?
• In what cases is going to court the optimal solution to protect the company's budget?