Development of the Dobrovolnoye Field will Stimulate the Development of Zverinogolovsky District

Heads of Zverinogolovsky District of Kurgan Region and residents of Zverinogolovskoe village paid a visit to Uksyanskoe village and JSC Dalur. Following the meeting, the guests reported that they had dispelled the last doubts about reliability and security at all stages of the production chain; therefore, they would support the implementation of the project for the Dobrovolnoye uranium field development.

We shall remind that currently, JSC Dalur is developing two fields in Kurgan Region being the Dalmatovskoye field in the similarly-named district and the Khokhlovskoye field in Shumikhinsky District. On 11 April 2017, an auction for the right to use the Dobrovolnoye subsoil area of federal importance in Zverinogolovsky District of Kurgan Region for exploration and uranium extraction will be held in accordance with the decree No. 2692-r issued by Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. Victor Svyatetsky, First Deputy Director General and Chief Operating Officer of JSC Atomredmetzoloto, reported the following: “We will certainly participate in the auction and expect to get the license and start the project development in 2017 already. Then, the State Environmental Expertise shall follow and, in the case of a positive opinion, we will start geological exploration in 2018 and pilot work in 2019”.

Implementation of the project for developing the Dobrovolnoye field means territory development for Zverinogolovskoye village. Mikhail Sheygets, Head of Zverinogolovsky District, says: “For us, it means the infrastructure development alongside with the termination of population outflow and unemployment. JSC Dalur will create about 350 jobs for the locals. Naturally, the infrastructure will be rearranged by constructing and repairing roads and laying a gas line. I suppose, that the arrival of a large-scale enterprise will push the development of local business, because employees will need to eat in the cafeteria and go shopping. Moreover, the same Dalur will benefit from such services as construction works. That is, our entrepreneurs forecast the creation of about 100 jobs. All this means an increase in the contributions inter alia to the local budget leading to the life quality increase in our villages. We hope for a separate assistance of Dalur in terms of implementing social projects”.

The guest tour started exactly from the social projects implemented in Uksyanskoye village. Residents of Zverinogolovskoye were welcomed in the new school built at the initiative and with the financial participation of the uranium mining enterprise. Yuri Bogdashov, Head of administration of Uksyanskoye village, said: “This is the largest project of Dalur in our territory. However, apart from the school, the company opened a gym in the village and assisted in repairing roads and improving housing and utility infrastructure. I wish our guests for Dalur to come to Zverinogolovskoye as soon as possible, so that your people would have confidence in the future”.

Nikolay Poponin, JSC Dalur Director General, remarked as follows: “We do not want the locals to have some prejudices associated with uranium mining. Everyone interested may see our operations, ask questions and get competent and honest answers. I hope that many of those present today will see their future jobs here”.

People from Zverinogolovskoye village visited an in-situ leaching landfill, a local sorption plant and, of course, the main production building of the enterprise. The JSC Dalur specialists explained the uranium production process in detail and told about the new jobs required. Leonid Ivanchikov, Head of HR Department of the enterprise, reported: “It shall be noted that our company is licensed for training and guidance of leaching plant operators, chemists, mechanical fitters, operators of mechanized and automated warehouses, well servicing operators. The training for these jobs takes three months at JSC Dalur”.

 Petr Polukhin, Head of Dalmatovsky District, reported on cooperation with Dalur and contribution of the enterprise in the development of social infrastructure in accordance with the meeting results. Mr Polukhin stressed as follows: “It is probably the most significant enterprise in our region. Here, people are thinking about their prospects. After all, they live in our district with their families, parents and children. Of course, they want their life quality to improve. The company is focused on the long term and implements its projects considering the improvement of the life quality of its employees and that of the region residents accordingly”.

Aleksandr Konstantinov, Deputy Governor and Director of the Department of Industry, Transport, Communications and Energy, promised complete support of project implementation in Zverinogolovskoye from the Government of Kurgan Region. According to him, the regional authorities see this project as the “point of growth” for the district and it will not be left without supervision from the first person in the region being its Governor Alexey Kokorin. Aleksandr Konstantinov said: “Zverinogolovsky District is given a chance to become one of the areas of advanced territorial development. This gives a number of preferences”. As an example, he said that they had already discussed with Rostelecom representatives the possibility to implement the project for creating a modern communication center providing broadband Internet, digital television and digital telephony in the area. Aleksandr Konstantinov also noted that JSC Dalur executed the Cooperation Agreement for Uranium Mining Development in Kurgan Region in its entirety by creating new jobs with competitive wages, developing production capacity and social infrastructure of the areas of operation, as well as by ensuring the implementation of environmental protection measures.

Upon getting the answers to the questions, the residents of Zverinogolovskoye made speeches as well. In particular, the project was supported by Pavel Ptitsyn, Chairman of the regional Association of peasant farm enterprises: “For us, people working in agriculture, the condition of the environment and nature is essential more than for anybody else. Today, my last doubts vanished after visiting Dalur. We will go on growing wheat, breeding sheep and supporting this project, which will help develop our small homeland.” Farid Valeev said: “I live in Zverinogolovskoye and I support the development of Dobrovolnoye, which will give a new lease of life to the whole district. Thanks to the project, we will become a prosperous village again and the entire families will strive to come here for a decent life, rather than to leave it”.

In conclusion, Victor Svyatetsky, First Deputy Director General and Chief Operating Officer of JSC Atomredmetzoloto, handed the Head of Zverinogolovsky District a gift being an electronic scoreboard to measure and display the level of radiation online. It will be installed in the center of Zverinogolovskoye village. Victor Svyatetskiy highlighted: “The radiation background will be normal both today and during the field development. All the village residents will be able to see it”.