Putin launched the production of copper concentrate at the largest deposit in the Russian Federation

Russian President Vladimir Putin took part via video link in the ceremony of launching the equipment of the processing plant of the Udokan mining and metallurgical plant. The event took place within the framework of the Eastern Economic Forum (WEF) in Vladivostok, reported the press service of the Udokan Copper company.

“As a result, the enterprise received the first copper concentrate,” the statement says.

The Udokan Copper Company (formerly the Baikal Mining Company) was created in 2008 to develop one of the largest copper deposits in the world, the Udokan copper deposit. It is located in the Kalarsky district of Transbaikalia, 30 km from the Novaya Chara station on the BAM. Udokan’s JORC resources are 26.7 million tons, the copper content in the ore is 1.05% (above average).

Construction of a mining and metallurgical plant for the extraction and processing of copper ore began in 2019 as part of the Transbaikalia ASEZ. The volume of investments in the project, as noted, exceeded 230 billion rubles. The development of the deposit itself started in the summer of 2020, the production volume was about 6.5 million tons. The commissioning of the plant will take place in two stages: first of all, two grinding and enrichment lines at the concentration plant will be launched, then all the technological lines of the hydrometallurgical plant will be launched.

The first stage of the Udokan development project provides for the processing of 12 million tons of ore per year and the production of 130,000 tons of copper. The launch of the second stage of the mining and metallurgical plant is expected to take place in 2028. Together, both stages will ensure the processing of 50 million tons of ore and the production of 450,000 tons of copper. As a result, the plant will become one of the ten largest copper producers in the world.