OREANDA-NEWS. March 17, 2010. As part of EuroChem’s large-scale project to increase apatite concentrate output, OJSC Kovdorsky GOK has started construction on two mine pumping stations to intensify the dewatering of its tailings dump’s first field. The total investment in this project is RUB 24 million.

The new pumping stations will be situated in an apatite-baddeleyite sands quarry within a technogenic deposit and equipped with high capacity Weir Warman pumps (supplied by Engineering Komplekt). They will maintain the quarry’s annual output at 5.0-5.5 million tons and enable processing of 17.5 million tons of high-quality sands during the mine’s development stage, an amount required to meet production and sales targets for apatite and baddeleyite concentrates. Automated control of the pumps offers the additional advantages of high abrasion resistance, increased production, operational and economic performance, and a flexible user-friendly system to regulate the equipment’s technological capabilities.

Dewatering the quarry field will reduce the moisture content of the apatite-baddeleyite sands as much as possible, while а lower ground-water table will create conditions favorable for exploiting the technogenic deposit until its development stage is complete.