OREANDA-NEWS. March 01, 2012. Kazakhmys group announces resuming mining operations at copper mine Konyrat stopped in 2008. It is expected that the mine will be in operation for 9 years. The amount of rock will exceed 99 m tons, with the ore close to 57 m tons, reported the press-centre of KASE.

In 2012 the company assumes to extract 3.5 m tons of ore for processing at Balkhash enrichment plant.

Development of rock at the east ridge of the mine will be carried in the open mode. Currently mine stripping is carried out. Ore extraction will begin in the summer and will reach the projected capacity in July 2012. Mine Konyrat will provide jobs for 300 people.

The company will spend over KZT1 bn on mining equipment and additional machinery for the mine. The vehicles pool will include 17 units of mining machinery, amongst which there are excavators, BelAZ dumpers with 130 ton working load, bulldozers and graders. For additional operations there fuel tanks, crew buses, minor dumpers, sander and cars for operational crew.

General director of Kazakhmys group Sergei Dyachenko says - "Konyrat is one of our oldest assets, deserving an honored place in Kazakhstan's mining, and we are pleased that the current situation in the global copper market allowed us to resume operations here".