Tominsky GOK - what is it? Mining and enrichment plant in the Chelyabinsk region

Tominsky GOK is one of the largest construction projects in Russia in the post-Soviet period. What will this bring to the Southern Urals and the economy of the whole country? Today there are heated debates and raging passions around the industrial facility between the company-owner and activists.

Field

Tominsky deposit of copper-porphyry ores is located in the Chelyabinsk region. According to experts, it is included in the top of the largest deposits of the Russian Federation and is one of the fifty world copper ore giants. The composition of the ore, in addition to copper, includes other precious metals - gold and silver. There are a lot of deposits of non-ferrous metals in the Urals and almost all of them are large-scale, the main problem is that the amount of metal per ton of ore in most cases is low. At the Tominsky mine, copper content in the ore is the lowest in Russia.

The estimated reserves of valuable metal are approximately 365 million tons. The deposit of copper ore was discovered by search parties in 1985. The estimation of volumes and the distribution area were evaluated from 1997 to 2005. Up to the present moment, reconnaissance measures are being carried out aimed at industrial development.

The deposit of copper ore consists of three types of ores: oxidized, primary sulphide and secondary enriched. The occurrence of minerals is superficial, so their development will be carried out in a career way.

Reservoir power:

• Oxidized ores are estimated at 40-60 meters and are represented by a clayey or crushed-argillaceous mass. The composition of the ore includes lazurite and malachite in the form of thin patches and inclusions.
• Secondarily enriched layers of ore are 12-15 meters.
• Primary sulphide deposits of ore are found at a depth of 55 meters, pyrites and chalcopyrites are included.

Planned indicators

The industrial potential of the Tominskoe deposit, according to experts, is about 1,293,127 tons of copper. The chemical composition of extracted ore includes barium, arsenic, copper, silicon, lithium, gold, zinc and other elements. In addition to the Tominsky deposit, the Kalinovsky site, located at a distance of 4.7 kilometers from the main quarry, will contain more than 230 tons of copper.

The operation of the Tominskoye field is planned for 18 years of intensive development, taking into account the decay period. Kalininsky site will be developed for 10 years. In the future, the joint processing of two objects in the period from 2025 to 2031. It is planned to extract 75% of ore at the Tomino quarry, the remaining resources will come from the Kalinovskoye mine.

Tominsky Combine

So, Tominsky GOK. What kind of complex is it and what parts will the company consist of? The mining and processing plant of the Tominskoye deposit is one of the largest industrial facilities in the Russian Federation, which will be built after the collapse of the USSR. . The construction is being carried out by the Russian Copper Company . The project envisages the use of advanced technologies at every stage of production processes. Increased attention is paid to environmental issues, which have become a stumbling block in the Chelyabinsk region between the company and public organizations.

The plant consists of three main industrial objects:

• Two open ore mines at the Tominsky deposit and the Kalinovsky section. The depth of development is up to 540 meters, the total area is about 4 thousand hectares.
• The production complex for obtaining copper concentrate and copper, consisting of a concentrating mill (production capacity - 14 million tons of products) with a tailing and closed water supply system, a hydrometallurgical plant (annual capacity of about 1.7 million tons).
• Infrastructure and production complex (engineering, sanitation, etc.).

Where is Tominsky GOK

Construction of the facility is conducted in the immediate vicinity of the city of Chelyabinsk. At 10 kilometers from the GOK there is the Shershnevo Reservoir, which is the main source of water supply to the city and the region. Near the field there are several settlements, from some residents will be relocated to new places of residence. The total area required for development is up to 4 thousand hectares.

To ensure full operation, infrastructure facilities will be built:

• Offshoot of the road from the bypass Chelyabinsk route.
• The branch of the railway communication from the village of Pervomaisky (from the station "Strawberry").
• To supply electricity, power lines will be stretched and substations with a capacity of 142 MVA will be built.
• Water intake, supply and purification systems for industrial, domestic, drinking needs (purified sewage from Novosineglazovo village, Korkino city, drainage water from Korkinsky mines and coal mine will be used).
• Removal of the pipeline from the gas distribution station of OJSC "Chelyabinskgazcom".
• Line telephony and fiber to provide communication.
• Warehouses, premises for storage and preparation of explosives, etc.

Project Innovation

Tomsk GOK is an object of Federal importance and an enterprise with the latest technologies. What does this suggest? First of all, innovation technologies and methods will be implemented:

• A special way of preparing the charge from different types of copper ore.
• Use of the latest generation of reagents to increase the concentration of copper and molybdenum in the finished product.
• Installation and operation of high-performance equipment of the newest model for the processing of fossil ores.
• Two lines of hydrometallurgical method of copper extraction from oxidized and loose ore, which as a result will allow processing up to 28 million tons of raw materials with a forecasted production of about 264 thousand tons of copper concentrate.

The first stage of the complex is planned to be put into operation in the autumn of 2017, but, according to the latest data, the start may be postponed for a year. The second stage is scheduled for delivery in 2019. The total investment in the project is 60 billion rubles.

Prospects for the region

Tominsky Mining and Processing Plant is one of the country's large-scale investment projects and is included in the strategic plan for the development of non-ferrous metallurgy, covering the period until 2030. For the Southern Urals, the project is of great importance, because it promises to increase the pace of infrastructure development, create jobs and build new businesses.

After the launch of all capacities Tominsky GOK in Chelyabinsk will replenish the treasury of the region with taxes worth about 120 billion rubles for the entire period of its operation. The company itself guarantees the creation of 1200 jobs for the population of the region. At employment the preference will be given to inhabitants of nearby Korkinsky and Sosnovsky areas. The average salary is estimated at 40,000 rubles, which exceeds the average wage level in the region.

For many industries and the economy as a whole, Tomino GOK can become a catalyst. The construction of such a large-scale facility covers orders for many enterprises - construction companies, pipe-rolling and machine-tool plants, companies engaged in the construction of infrastructure facilities, etc. The specialists estimated that one workplace for a specialist of the GOK will require the creation of up to seven jobs in the enterprise servicing sector.

Like all modern centers of non-ferrous metallurgy, the Tomsk Combine pays great attention to the protection of the environment, the preservation of natural resources and the care of the social sphere of adjacent housing estates. To date, investments have been made and construction of several social facilities in the territory of Sosnovsky and Korkinsky districts started. In the long-term plans, the reconstruction of sanatorium-and-spa institutions, the provision of support to hospitals, schools, sports clubs and societies. A few million rubles have already been spent on the social sphere.

Social movement

There are already centers of non-ferrous metallurgy in the Urals that have gained notoriety. One of them is the notorious Karabashmed Combine, in the vicinity of which practically nothing is alive, and the age limit of the population is no more than 48 years. Activists opposing the construction of GOK, created the StopGOK movement, whose plans include the cancellation of the construction of the facility.

The main arguments against the construction of GOK, put forward by the leaders of the movement, are the following:

• Pollution of the Shershnev reservoir and even the possible withdrawal of water from it as a result of the deepening of the quarry.
• Opponents argue that the tailing pond, which is a huge reservoir with liquid toxic waste products, will inevitably pollute groundwater, which will lead to an ecological disaster throughout the region.
• There are fears that emissions of exhaust air will cause toxic precipitation, there will be practically nothing to breathe. In the framework of the struggle for clean air in Chelyabinsk, an action was held under the name "Breathe", the participants of which used gas masks.

It is noteworthy that the backbone of the protest movement consists of people who have nothing to do with the environment and do not have knowledge in this area. Some of them live outside of Russia and are agents of influence from other states. Some residents of Chelyabinsk believe that the situation around the plant is artificially heated, and the construction itself and the fears of residents are used as a bargaining chip in political games.

Actions of the authorities

To dispel all fears of the public, Governor B. Dubrovsky initiated an independent examination and audit of the documentation of the TGOK in terms of environmental safety. The assessment was made by the specialists of the Yekaterinburg Mining and Geological University, in which they pointed out that, taking into account several of their recommendations, the plant and the plant as a whole posed no danger.

The received expert report did not satisfy the activists, then it was decided to apply to the mining industry branch - the St. Petersburg Mining University. Certainly, many enterprises of the Chelyabinsk region, built during the first and second waves of industrialization in the Soviet Union, can not withstand any criticism. During the construction of these industrial facilities no one thought about ecology, a different situation with modern combines and centers.

Petersburg scientists confirmed the findings of their colleagues from the University of Ekaterinburg. Activists still do not listen to the opinion of specialists. Experts agreed and said that the project "Tominsky GOK" is not seriously threatened, that this construction will entail an improvement of the economic situation without damage to the environment.

Fears of people falling into the sphere of influence of GOK can be understood, but it is necessary to solve the problem. On one side of the scale is industrialization with the use of all the advanced technologies for protecting the environment, raising the standard of living, the possibility of development for the whole country. On the other - the health of the next generation, the pristine nature. The general answer to the question so far no one has, it remains to hope for a sensible approach to solving the issue from all sides of the conflict.