TOMSK, Dec 27 – RIA Tomsk. Ore Mining and Processing Enterprise Ilmenite in the Tomsk region started production of zircon, titanium and rutile-leucoxene concentrates, the main consumers will be one of Rosatom's enterprises and VSMPO-AVISMA corporation; the plant has already provided jobs for 140 people, the press service of Atomredmetzoloto (ARMZ, Rosatom subsidiary) said.
It was reported earlier that the Tugansk Ore Mining and Processing Enterprise Ilmenite was established in 2002 to develop the Tomsk ilmenite-zircon deposit, which is the largest in Russia by reserves of quartz sand and has the same zircon, ilmenite and rutile content as the foreign deposits. The other day it became known that ARMZ received a 25% minus one share stake in the mine. The other existing shareholder is the Izurium Capital Advisors (Rus) Ltd. (Izurium investment fund).
"We are launching an ore sands processing plant at the Tugansk deposit in accordance with the agreed construction schedule. The plant will soon reach its design capacity of processing 575 thousand tonnes of ore sands per year," Andrey Kabanov, general director of Tugansk Ore Mining and Processing Enterprise Ilmenite is quoted in the report.
It is noted that at the moment construction and installation works have been completed at the preparation plant, the plant has already started producing zircon, titanium and rutile-leucoxene concentrates. The enterprise has created 140 jobs.
© РИА Томск. Михаил Голубев
It is expected that Chepetsky Mechanical Plant (part of Rosatom's TVEL) and VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation will become the main customers of Tugansk Ore Mining and Processing Enterprise, according to the press service. The possibility for exporting the products abroad is also being considered.
"The potential of the Tugansk Ore Mining and Processing Enterprise will enable the company to take a position in the Russian market as one of the major suppliers of titanium and zircon concentrates, ensuring up to 100% consumption for zircon concentrate and up to 15-20% for ilmenite concentrate when all phases of the plant are launched. The plant will also become the largest supplier of glass sands in Siberia," ARMZ first deputy director general Alexey Shemetov is quoted as saying.
According to the ARMZ's website, the project will involve developing the deposit by tapping the resources of the Kuskovsko-Shiryaevsky license area and increasing production capacity to 6.9 million tonnes of ore sands per year. The mine will be launched in three phases.
Consumers include industries such as welding electrodes, titanium sponge, zirconium metal, refractories, ceramic products, glass containers and float glass, and building materials.
***
It was also previously reported that ARMZ uranium holding joined the mine project at the main construction stage, in May 2021. The volume of financing amounted to more than 500 million rubles.
According to the SPARK-Interfax analytical system, Tugansk Ore Mining and Processing Enterprise Ilmenite was registered in the Tomsk region in 2002. It is classified as a non-public joint stock company. At the end of 2020, the company's assets were estimated at 1.47 billion rubles, net loss was 10.3 million rubles.