Norilsk Nikel resumes open pit mining in Pechenga
Kolskaya GMK, the regional subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel, is ready to resume open-pit mining at the Zhdanovskoye field near the border to Norway.
The mining will start in the fourth quarter of 2011, the managers of Norilsk Nickel have decided, a press release from the company informs. In the period from 2013-2017, a more than two million tons of ore is planned extracted at the field.
The resumed open-pit mining will allow the company to keep production of the local processing plants at the level of 8,2 million tons in the period. After 2017, the company will have completed a new local underground mine which can substitute the open-pit resources, the company informs.
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Kolskaya GMK has for decades engaged in open-pit mining at the Tsentralny mine, the main operation area at the Zhdanovskoye field. However, the open pit operations were stopped a few years ago following dwindling reserves. Instead focus was put on the new underground Severny-gluboky mine.
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The Zhdanovskoye field is located near the town of Zaployarny. Kolskaya GMK has processing facilities both in Zapolyarny and in the neighboring town of Nikel.
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