Russia’s uranium capital celebrates Miner’s Day, main holiday for all Krasnokamensk residents

There is hardly any city resident, from baby to adult, who did not become a spectator or participant of any festive event held in late August. Each Krasnokamensk family is in some way connected with the city-forming enterprise, Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Union.
“During 46 years of the Industrial Union’s operation, 120,000 tons of uranium has been extracted by PIMCU workers. There is no such rich and unique deposit anywhere else. Throughout the enterprise development history, Krasnokamensk residents have received as many prestigious awards as the whole population of the Trans-Baikal Territory altogether. This is an example worthy of emulation,” noted Konstantin Ilkovskiy, Governor of the Trans-Baikal Territory, during a ceremonial meeting at the Dauria Community Centre.

In a year that passed from the previous Miner’s Day, PIMCU workers had something to boast about. These include breasting 160 linear metres by the drifting method in a month (previously, an average sinking speed was 45 linear metres per month); shafting 78 linear metres of underground workings (previously, an average shafting speed was 55 linear metres per month); commissioning an underground mining communication system and many other achievements.

A ceremony for conferring well-deserved industry and state awards on Krasnokamensk residents included the participation of the Governor of the Trans-Baikal Territory together with Vladimir Verkhovtsev, Chief Executive Officer of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation’s mining arm, and Sergey Shurygin, Director General of JSC PIMCU. Fourteen persons were honoured with the “Atomic Energy Merit” Award Pin of the 3rd class and the “Miner’s Glory” badge of the 1st class. Anatoliy Belousov, head of the Underground Design Department; Ivan Ivanov, the stope miner at mine No. 1; Mikhail Alyekhin, lead mechanic at the Process Support Department; Yuriy Altukhov, on-the-job training instructor and others were among them. Aleksey Buldakov, excavator operator at the Urtuiskoye open cast mining office; Vadim Yevstigneyev, underground site supervisor of the Shaft-Sinking Department; Tatiana Matveyeva, chief quality officer at the Leach Plant and others were awarded Certificates of Merit from ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation.

Presentation of awards alternated with performances by Dauria Community Centre’s creativity studios, children’s arts school and an amateur team of JSC PIMCU Urtuiskoye Motor Fleet. Song “About Father” sang by the concert’s youngest participant Aliya Basyrova received the most emotional response from spectators.

Portraits of 90 best workers adorned the renovated Alley of PIMCU Labour Glory in the centre of Krasnokamensk.

On Saturday morning, city residents together with the Governor of the Trans-Baikal Territory, heads of the city and district administrations and officials from ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. welcomed a traditional parade of workers of JSC PIMCU, as well as organizations and enterprises based in the uranium capital. Thousands of Krasnokamensk residents gathered in the Prospekt Stroiteley. The festive parade was opened by elite of the mining industry, a line of full holders of the “Miner’s Glory” Badge. They passed along the main city street to an ovation of fellow city residents.
Each subdivision demonstrated its unique features. Team of underground uranium mine No. 1 presented a miners’ operation cycle at the parade. Krasnokamensk residents and guests had an opportunity to see rock mass dispatch by a load-haul-dump machine; excavation support; and rock mass drilling by the minibur 1RD machine. Machines and equipment also appeared in columns of mine No. 8; Directorate for Underground Mining and Auxiliary Production; Shaft-Sinking Department; Urtuiskoye open cast mining office; and LLC Urtuiskoye Motor Fleet. City residents saluted with applause workforce of the Militarized Mine Rescue Team, Leach Plant, Central Research and Development Laboratory, Railway Shop Floor, Thermal Power Station and other subdivisions. Highlights of the festive parade were performances by young city talents – pupils of children’s arts school and general education establishments, including school No. 7 named after Stal’ Sergeyevich Pokrovskiy, the Industrial Union’s first director. Hundreds of balloons, banners, blazing fireworks, flowers, movable exhibits, welcoming addresses and congratulations to miners created a unique atmosphere of the celebration.

Soon after the festive parade, a ceremony to award winners of the occupational skill contest “Best Young Professional” was held on the balustrades of the Dauria Community Centre. Sergey Shurygin, Director General of JSC PIMCU, and Nadezhda Pluzhnikova, Deputy Chairperson of a Shop-Floor Trade Union Organization, handed over diplomas to the contest winners. Then, a large-scale creative marathon for all city residents started. The dance and song programme featured performances by creative teams of the Dauria Community Centre, as well as from the city, the district’s settlements and from the outside of the city, including Ensembles “Poisk” (“Search”) from Priargunsk, “Meridian” and “Novyi Den” (“New Day”) from Yasnogorsk. Krasnokamensk residents saw the best performances presented by winners of the Amateur Arts Festival “Slava Trudu” (“Labour Glory”) among subdivisions of JSC PIMCU – “Waltz” from Urtuiskoye Motor Fleet and military medley performed by miners of underground uranium mine No. 1.

In the evening, the square in front of the Dauria Community Centre was fully reserved by young people. Krasnokamensk youths celebrated miners’ professional holiday by a disco and DJ’s battle. A positive energy and cheerful spirits combined in a single dance outburst. The celebration ended up with flashes of fireworks in the night sky.