Drilling of new mineshaft has begun at Gubkin mine

Ceremonies marked the start of drilling and construction of a mineshaft for grassing ferrigenous quartzite from a depth of 250 meters. Over the past 10 years, miners have worked with scientists to find new paths of development. The discovery of colossal reserves at lower depths led to the creation of a project to build new shafts and drill tunnels. The concept behind a project to increase production volume to 7 million tonnes of ore per year calls for construction of two shafts, both a skip shaft and a man shaft, further subterranean drilling to the -250 meters level, the construction of an auxilliary ventilation shaft, and the expansion of the existing crushing and enrichment factory. The project is now being refined, after which final construction schedules and stage-by-stage unit commissioning will be finalized. Construction of a vertical skip shaft will be performed by the contracting agency OAO Trust Shakhtspetsstroi, which won the tender. Like all previous mineshafts at the Korobkovsk field and the Gubkin mine, the new shaft will be built by rock refrigeration. The lowest point on the shaft will be 546 meters. Pursuing this project is highly expedient and will ensure the economic stability of both KMAruda Works and of the holding as a whole. Today, KMAruda is the primary supplier of raw material to Tulachermet. The appearance of the new mine will provide OAO Tulachermet with a strong and sole supplier in KMAruda Works, since the company's production capacity will be more than doubled, and its period of service will be extended by another 50 years. The mine expansion will also provide additional volumes to contracting agencies, increase payments at all levels of the state budget, and provide miners with confidence in the future.