Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 29
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
Kazakh mining company KAZ Minerals plans to launch the Bozshakol ore-dressing plant in the first quarter of 2016.
According to a message issued by the company Oct. 29, the plant's equipment, damaged in a mid-August fire, is currently being replaced.
The fire occurred at the plant during its construction.
It is planned to start the extraction of the sulphide ore at the Bozshakol field shortly before the launch of the ore-dressing plant.
Bozshakol is the largest mining project in the post-Soviet area, both for its scope and in terms of production volume.
According to KAZ Minerals, the operation life of the Bozshakol mine and the ore-dressing plant will exceed 40 years.
After the commissioning of production, 1,500 people will work at the mine.
Ore body also contains valuable by-products - gold and molybdenum.
Pre-commissioning works in the project are scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2016, and during 2016 the production of copper in concentrate will reach the design capacity.
Capital costs of the project stand at about $2.2 billion, and the funding is being carried out with help of a $2.7 billion loan provided by the China Development Bank and Kazakhstan's Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund.
Edited by CN
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova