Rostec to start beryllium production within three years

The Mariinsky mine, which is managed by RT-Capital (part of the state corporation Rostec), will launch the production of metallic beryllium in the Sverdlovsk region within three years, the state corporation said.

As Rostec notes, within the framework of the investment project for the development of the Mariinsky mine, a flotation factory will be built over the next three years, which will be able to process up to 250,000 tons of emerald-beryllium ore and produce up to 50 tons of valuable metal per year.

“Mariinsky mine” is the only operating enterprise in Russia and Europe for the industrial production of beryl concentrate. Beryllium is a rare metal that is produced by processing emerald-beryllium ores and is further used in space, nuclear and other strategic industries.

“The launch of the flotation factory will allow us to exclude foreign intermediaries from the production chain and significantly increase economic efficiency,” said Alexander Nazarov, Deputy General Director of Rostec.

The development of ore beneficiation technology together with the Mariinsky mine will be carried out by Uralmekhanobr and the Leading Research Institute of Chemical Technology (VNIIKhT, part of the scientific division of Rosatom).

A feasibility study (feasibility study) of the investment project for the development of the Mariinsky mine was carried out in September 2022 and updated in 2023. The increase in the reserves of emerald-beryllium ore listed on the state balance was 30%, and beryllium oxide – 10%.

Mariinsky mine mines raw materials at the Malyshevskoye and Aulskoye deposits in the Sverdlovsk region. The company’s proven reserves of emerald-beryllium ore are estimated at more than 13,400 tons. Another 17,300 tons of reserves are accounted for by beryllium oxide, which is used in rocket engines and as a transparent protective coating on telescope mirrors. According to Rostec, the reserves are enough to load the future factory for 30-50 years ahead.

The Malyshevskoye deposit is one of three emerald deposits in the world and the only one in Russia. Its main minerals are emerald and beryl – raw materials for the production of metallic beryllium, as well as associated minerals – alexandrite, phenakite, chrysoberyl, jewelry and ornamental beryl, phlogopite and rare alkali metals (lithium, rubidium, cesium).

RT-Capital is a subsidiary of Rostec, which performs the functions of a competence center for the operation, restructuring and management of non-core assets. The company unites more than 150 enterprises.