2020 Results: ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. Hit All Uranium Production Targets

At the year-end of 2020, the anniversary year for the nuclear industry, ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. (Mining Division of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation) has exceeded its uranium extraction targets by 2%. The uranium mining enterprises in the Trans-Baikal Territory, the Republic of Buryatia and the Kurgan region continue to supply the strategic raw material for the needs of the Russian nuclear industry without disruption.

They also persist in their efforts for capacity expansion. Indeed, the 2020 investment program has been 100% achieved in capital construction, while in Krasnokamensk, the Trans-Baikal Territory, ARMZ have completed the infrastructure for new Mine No. 6, including the mine water treatment plant (WTP) being its largest facility, and started construction of the tipple complexes in line with the schedule.

They have been keeping on with the planned extraction of mineral resources in the Republic of Buryatia and the Kurgan region without interruptions. The Federal Agency for Mineral Resources (Rosnedra) agreed on the technical projects for the development of the Dybryn and Kolichikan uranium deposits in the Bauntovsky-Evenki district, Buryatia, and the Zverinogolovsky district, the Kurgan region, completed the exploration of the Dobrovolnoye deposit, with the pilot operations to commence in 2021.

The uranium mining enterprises have lived through further digital transformations. By order of Khiagda, JSC the Seversk Institute of Technology within MEPhI National Research Nuclear University have created a virtual model of the Istochnoye deposit based on the reserves available at the Khiagdinskoye ore field to view and manage the entire uranium mining process with the use of special software. The innovative solutions are also deployed at the Vershinnoye deposit where they have commenced the work to automate the local sorption plant. This is a pilot project aimed at reducing production costs and the price costs of the final products. If it succeeds, it will be scaled up to reach all the facilities under construction.

In 2020, the revenues gained from non-uranium projects have increased up to 29%. At the Urtuisky opencast brown coal mine, PIMCU, PJSC have produced 3.0 million tons of coal for the Krasnokamensk HPP, Russian consumers, and export contracts.

The external revenues generated by the service companies have grown multiple times: by 140% in VNIPIpromtechnologii, JSC, and by 223% in case of RUSBURMASH, JSC, primarily due to engineering and other supplies to both the Russian and foreign markets. In Elkon MMP, JSC, which began to upgrade the housing and utilities infrastructure in two Chukotka municipalities of Bilibino and Pevek at once, they also say farewell to the year with the very positive bottom-line results. All obligations they have assumed in 2020 for the design and construction of engineering networks are fulfilled to make around RUB 1 billion. The 2020 field season for the Pavlovskoye project on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago has been also completed successfully. The results of the reserves appraisal carried out for the lead-zinc deposit in accordance with international standards (JORC) are expected in the spring of the next year. In addition, the project has gained support from the government, while The First Ore Mining Company, JSC will be granted a RUB 7 billion subsidy for infrastructure. In the Kurgan region, Daluar, JSC has produced more than 500 kg of pure scandium oxide and tested the processes for the production of aluminum-scandium alloys and it will further develop the projects for the extraction of other rare-earth metals, including titanium, zirconium, lithium, etc. Less than a year ago, ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. launched the mass production of lithium-ion battery-powered mining machinery in Krasnokamensk. Seven battery-powered load-haul-dumpers (LHDs) are already supplied by ARMZ Mining Machinery, LLC as the project operator, while eight other LHDs are planned to arrive in 2021. The entire production program is achieved in the difficult sanitary and epidemiological circumstances, with absolute OHS compliance. In addition, PIMCU, PJSC exploits the capacity to manufacture products that have been very popular during the pandemic. In particular, they have tested processes to produce medical grade oxygen that is proved to be in demand among healthcare institutions in the Trans-Baikal Territory.

«The pandemic has consequences for all mining companies across the globe, including the Uranium Holding. However, the team of the Mining Division did not stop operations like many world-renowned producers, but exceeded its uranium concentrate targets,» Vladimir Verkhovtsev, ARMZ Director General, said to stock take the progress.

In the year of the 75th anniversary of the nuclear Industry, ARMZ presented Uranium Production History, a book about development of the uranium resources and, of course, about those people who led the growth of the world’s largest primary sector when it was still in its infancy. The book includes old workers’ stories and biography essays about iconic captains of the nuclear industry, such as E.P. Slavsky