RUSAL has obtained a license to develop the Goryachegorsk nepheline mine in the Krasnoyarsk region, Russia. The mine will provide the main raw material for the Achinsk alumina refinery. According to the feasibility analysis, the mine has sufficient reserves to be in operation for next 60 years.
The Achinsk alumina refinery is Russia’s largest refinery where alumina is produced from nepheline ore as the key raw material. Currently, the refinery uses nepheline from the Kiya-Shaltyrskiy mine and Mazulskiy limestone mine with enough reserve for next 10 years. The Goryachegorsk deposit has nepheline reserves of approximately 414.4 million tonnes.
Evgenii Nikitin, CEO of RUSAL, said: “One of the Company’s top priorities is the development of the proper resource base whilst there is still a period of high pricing. The Goryachegorsk field reserves will ensure that the work at the Achinsk alumina refinery can continue uninterrupted for dozens of years after mining has completed at Kiya-Shaltyrskiy”.
Rusal has received the mining licence but the exploration is scheduled for 2028-2029. Before the exploration starts a number of operations need to be carried out. These pre-exploration activities include adding the reserves to the balance, project design work and necessary infrastructure developments like re-building of the railway and the construction of the pit and enrichment facility at the Achinsk refinery.
Total project investment and the starting date for the exploration have not been decided yet.
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