Posted on 05 Jun 2023
Russia’s Udokan Copper started last week its first deliveries of ore for future copper production, the company tells Kallanish.
The enterprise successfully carried out commissioning work on the coarse crushing body and all sections of the conveyor. The step ensures the grinding of ore coming from the Zapadny open pit to a size of 350 millimetres. The crushing plant has a capacity of over 2,000 tonnes/hour of ore.
After processing at the crushing plant, the ore is sent to the processing plant along a conveyor consisting of three lines with a total length of 2.8 km. During the tests, BelAZ mining dump trucks were used to load the bunker of the crushing plant with ore.
According to Udokan, the ore was fed to the conveyor with a gradual increase in the load level - from 20% to 100%, in order to adjust the parameters of all units and equipment, and debug the automation system of the production complex. The Udokan copper deposit and related infrastructure are located in the Udokan Range in Zabaikalsky Krai, in Russia's Far East.
“The successful launch was the result of the work of a huge number of specialists, primarily builders, commissioners, and technologists,” says Udokan Copper’s general director Aleksey Yashchuk. “We have reached the finish line leading to the commissioning of the Udokan mining and smelting plant.”
Udokan Copper has previously said it plans to launch the first stage of production in Q3 2023. It expects to produce up to 135,000 t/y of copper in the form of copper cathodes and sulphide concentrate in its initial phase. In the second stage, capacity will increase to 400,000 t/y.
The cost of the first phase of Udokan development was previously estimated at $2.9 billion.
The company says it will target China’s growing demand for copper, taking advantage of its close location to the Chinese border. It can ship to northern China via direct railroad link and to southern China via Russian seaports on the Pacific Ocean.
Source:Kallanish
