OREANDA-NEWS. October 06, 2015. “Main production technical upgrade projects are being implemented as scheduled. Their implementation will enable to commission state-of-the-art equipment and, due to it, reduce costs significantly and for Urtuyskoye surface mine office – expand sales markets”, - noted Vladimir Verkhovtsev, head of the mining division of the State Nuclear Power Corporation Rosatom following the working visit to Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Union (PJSC PIMCU).

A meeting on further product sales market expansion was held on Urtuyskiy surface mine under the chairmanship of  Vladimir Verkhovtsev. The general director of ARMZ Uranium Holding inspected the prepared site for locating a new crushing and grading complex (CGC). Equipment with the capacity of up to 3 mln.t per annum has already been purchased. The complex will enable to produce three main coal fractions: 0-20 mm, 20-50 mm and 50-300 mm. According to Andrey Prostakishin, commercial director of PIMCU, coal processing at CGC will allow to raise product quality, increase a heating value and reduce humidity. And it is very important for consumers. “20-50 mm fraction is generally demanded by foreign consumers, 50-300 mm fraction – by domestic ones. Exactly fulfilling desires of our partners, we will be able to increase the number of Urtuyskiy coal consumers”, - emphasized Andrey Prostakishin. 

Development of uranium mine No. was discussed on 7 horizon “d”of 14-RASH shaft, sinking of which is currently being performed by the Shaft-sinking department of PIMCU. By now around 100 m of shaft bottom have been sunk. Shaft-sinkers are implementing the project “Reserves penetration optimization”, the main component of which is increase of a distance between mine horizons from 60 to 90 м. “According to mine No.8 development project, sinking operations we planned for 7-th, 8-th and 9-th horizons. The standard distance between them is  60 meters. We proposed to increase level height by 30 m. Thus, instead of 7 horizon we started  horizon 7 “d” sinking. The level height between 6 and 7 “d” horizons after penetration optimization will be 90 m. Then we will sink not the 8-th but the 9-th horizon directly. Between 7 “d” and 9 horizons the level height will also be 90 m”, - explains Аndrey Ryazanov, SSD director.

Sredneye tailings dam reconstruction project was considered on the site of the Hydrometallurgical plant. The project designed by the Engineering centre of ARMZ Uranium Holding - JSC VNIPIpromtekhnologii – will enable to increase usable volume to 7.5.m3 if all environmental regulations are met. For this purpose, a bund wall is built up, impervious screens are developed and a drainage pumping station is constructed, other works are performed. The project is financed by the funds of JSC Atomredmetzoloto and the Federal Target Program. “Works for the first reconstruction stage will be completed in mid 2016. Then we together with PIMCU will continue works in order to increase tailings dam usable volume by another 12.3 mln.m3 by 2025. During reconstruction, state-of-the-art materials and technologies which completely exclude environmental impact are used”, - told Аleksey Starodumov, general director of the engineering centre.

The final stage of the project “Technical upgrading of the ore preparation scheme for processing” was also discussed at the Hydrometallurgical plant. The general director of ARMZ Uranium Holding visited the constructed concentrate recrushing building of the X-ray ore concentration plant. Here installation of cone and jaw crushers and four conveyors is being completed. The production capacity of new equipment will be 1.5 mln ore tons per annum.