Tajikistan is seeking a $100 million investment to modernise the Adrasman mining and processing plant.
The plant’s raw material base consists of the Eastern and Western Konimansur deposits.
The project’s first phase involves modernising the production facilities, while the second phase aims to increase capacity, construct a beneficiation plant, and build a metallurgical plant.
The project’s phased approach to revitalising the plant includes the following stages:
- Year 1: Repair and restoration work on mining sites and the beneficiation plant, procurement of essential equipment (mining machinery, transport vehicles, etc.), with the extraction and processing of 300,000 tonnes of ore and production of 6,000 tonnes of concentrate.
- Year 2: Preparatory mining works for the next block. Extraction and processing of 500,000 tonnes of ore and production of 10,000 tonnes of concentrate.
- Years 3-5: Extraction and processing of 1 million tonnes of ore per year, producing 20,000 tonnes of concentrate annually.
- Year 6: Scaling up extraction and processing to 2 million tonnes per year, with a concentrate output of 40,000 tonnes.
At the end of the project, the plant plans to produce up to 40,000 tonnes of concentrate annually.
The concentrate produced by the plant will contain the following primary components:
- Lead: 31-36%
- Silver: 2,200-3,300 grams per tonne of ore, depending on ore quality and enrichment technology.
To increase the company’s capacity, it is necessary to upgrade mine No. 12, which is in need of reconstruction, said company head Sobirjon Mamadjonov to Sputnik Tajikistan.
The project has been developed by one of Uzbekistan’s geological institutes. According to the business plan, for the revival, upgrade, and expansion of mining capacities, production must increase to 1 million tonnes per year or more, as otherwise, the operation will not be profitable.
Previously, the Russian company “Formula Svet” expressed interest in the launch of the Adrasman plant in Guliston.
History of the Plant:
The development of the Adrasman deposit was first discussed in 1944, when the USSR NKVD, under the direction of the Soviet government, began exploring uranium deposits in Central Asia, including in Adrasman.
In addition to uranium, the Soviet government planned to extract bismuth and its concentrates at this site. Large reserves of lead and silver were later discovered.
In 1970, based on the Karamazar mine, the Adrasman mining and beneficiation plant was established, specialising in the extraction and processing of lead-silver ores to produce lead concentrate. The plant’s capacity was over 650,000 tonnes of ore per year.
In mid-2006, the Kazakh company “Kazinvest-Mineral” acquired 100% of Adrasman’s shares. In 2007, over 200,000 tonnes of lead-zinc concentrate were extracted and processed here.
However, in July 2013, the Adrasman plant ceased production due to a decline in global silver prices, making the extraction and processing of this metal unprofitable.
Since 2013, the plant has been inactive and declared bankrupt.
In 2017, by decision of the Dushanbe Economic Court, Adrasman became the property of the Tajik government, which explained the move by stating that the Kazakh owners had failed to take measures to revitalise the enterprise.
