OREANDA-NEWS. Pervomaisky open pit mine of the Northern GOK of Metinvest Group commissioned the first start-up facility of the iron ore crushing and conveying system. It is independent Ukraine's largest project in the mining sector. Investments in the first line of the crushing and conveying system totalled UAH 1.9 billion.

Crushing and conveying system is a conveyor system, which delivers ore from the open pit to the crushing factory for the production of concentrate. Run-of-mine ore covers a distance of 2.3 km by conveyor in 16 minutes, and is then transported to the factory by rail.

The construction of the first line with a 20 million ton capacity began in 2010. When commissioned, the line comprises over 80 main and auxiliary facilities.

The project as whole envisaged the construction of two crushing and conveying lines with a total capacity of 40 million tons. The commissioning of the second line is scheduled for early next year. The total investments into the project are estimated at UAH 2.9 billion.

The goal of the project is to maintain the capacity level at 14-15 million tons of concentrate per year and reduce its cost of production. The technogenic impact on environment will be mitigated due to a reduction in the operating time of heavy trucks internal combustion engines in the working zone of the open pit.

Yuriy Ryzhenkov, Chief Executive Officer of Metinvest Group:

- Crusher and conveyor project at the Northern GOK is the largest in the history of Metinvest Group. Financial benefit from this technology amounts to UAH 840 million. While business community holds discussions on how to bring investments back into domestic economy, Metinvest finds ways to look for internal reserves and make investments in the development of its manufacturing sites. In 2014-2015, the Group invested over UAH 13.3 billion in the performance improvement of its production facilities. However, to continue to invest, the mining and metallurgical sector of the country needs support from the state. This mainly refers to the need to stop the uncontrolled growth of tariffs of state monopolies, and ensure the implementation of infrastructure projects able to eliminate logistics issues for the Ukrainian business.