Tashkent, Uzbekistan, June 30
By Demir Azizov- Trend:
The government of Uzbekistan has approved a feasibility study of the project for the construction of a mine at the gold mine Kyzyl Olma (Tashkent region) worth $65.14 million, representative of the Ministry of Economy of Uzbekistan told Trend June 30.
The Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine (AMMC) will carry out construction of the underground mine at the Samarchuk site with capacity of 100,000 metric tons of ore per year.
Funding for the project will be carried out by a loan of the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan in the amount of $14.15 million and the own funds of AMMC. It is expected that financing and the main volume of work will start in July.
Commissioning of the mine is planned for late 2018.
It was previously reported that AMMC planned to start implementation of this project in 2014. The project cost is estimated at $74 million, and the design capacity of the mine was projected at around 200,000 metric tons per year.
In 2013, the Russian Western Ural Machine Building Concern won the tender for contract work on vertical mine shaft sinking of the Construction of the underground mine at the Samarchuk site based on the current field Kyzyl Olma project. AMMC signed a contract with the Russian company on a "turnkey" basis. The contract value is not disclosed.
According to the "golden production" modernization program adopted for maintenance of the capacity and compensation for the retirement of enterprises in ore deposit exploitation, the AMMC plans to intensify work on opening new horizons on operating mines, build new facilities and reconstruct Angren gold processing plant by 2016.
In 2007, the AMMC completed reconstruction of the existing mine at Kyzyl Olma and Kochbulak fields in Tashkent region worth $ 49.4 million.
According to Goskomgeo Uzbekistan, 41 fields of gold have been discovered in the republic by now, 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 Asian. The AMMC accounts for nearly 90 percent of silver production and 20 percent of gold production in the country.
Edited by CN