Uzbekistan, Tashkent, 26 Feb. / Trend, D. Azizov /
Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine (AMMC, Almalyk city, Tashkent region) has announced a tender for the construction of the Samarchuk gold mine in Tashkent region.
The tender is being announced for a turnkey vertical mine shaft sinking of the Samarchuk mine of the Kyzyl Olma deposit. The starting value of the work is 18.9 million.
Bids are accepted until March 26. Results of the competition will be announced in April.
As reported, the AMMC started building an underground mine with capacity of up to 200,000 tons of ore on the Samarchuk site at the existing Kyzyl Olma field earlier this year.
Funding for the project worth $ 74 million will be provided by equity of AMMC worth $ 35 million through loans from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan ($ 14.2 million) and loans from Uzbek banks for a total amount of $ 24.8 million.
Completion of construction is scheduled for the end of 2015.
In 2007, AMMC completed renovation of existing mines at Kyzyl Olma and Kochbulak fields in Tashkent region for a total amount of $49.4 million. During the intensification of operations at the mines and reconstruction of the Angren gold ore processing plant, the ore processing capacity increased to 600,000 tons per year. The project was financed by own funds.
According Goskomgeo of Uzbekistan, 41 fields of gold have been discovered in the country, of which nine fields are being developed.
Almalyk MMC is the only copper producer in Uzbekistan, one of the largest manufacturers of non-ferrous metals in Central Asia. The AMMC accounts for nearly 90% of silver production and 20% of gold production in the country. The plant consists is composed of two mining companies, two processing plants and two metallurgical plants.
The plant has the right to develop copper-molybdenum and lead-zinc ores in the area of Almalyk (Tashkent region). The AMMC's resource base includes copper-porphyry ores Kalmakyr and Sary Cheku (Tashkent region) and the deposit of lead-zinc-barite ore Uch-Kulach (Djizzak).
The total volume of production is estimated at more than $ 300 million annually.