Trans-Baikal Territory is one of the most beautiful regions of Russia. Here, a unique ecosystem, flora and fauna are unusually rich. However, the natural resources of the region are not limited to this. In Transbaikalia, there is the Priargunsky Production Mining and Chemical Association (PIMCU) - the flagship of the Russian uranium industry, a large diversified mining and processing enterprise. It is named after the Argun River, despite the fact that the distance to it is more than 100 kilometers.
History of creation
As early as 1963, in the southeastern part of the Trans-Baikal Territory, the Sosnovskaya expedition of the First Main Geological Exploration Directorate of the USSR Mineology was working. Party 324 discovered the Streltsovskoye uranium deposit. Its detailed exploration was carried out in 1966, at the same time the Krasny Kamen and Tulukuevskoye deposits were discovered.
The history of the Priargunsky industrial mining and chemical association begins with the opening of the Priargunsky mining and chemical plant, created in 1968 by decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 108-31. Pokrovsky Steel Sergeyevich was appointed the first director of the enterprise. On the basis of the Streltsovskoye field, construction of a processing plant began, and on the basis of Tulukuevsky - two mines. In the same year, the first residential buildings of the city of Krasnokamensk were built, which was destined to become the uranium capital of the Soviet Union first, and then Russia. A boiler room has been launched for heating homes.
Plant development
Immediately after the creation of the Priargunsky industrial mining and chemical association, it began to develop confidently. In 1969, ore mining began at the first mine, the Bilitui-Krasnokamensk railway line was opened, and a physicochemical laboratory was founded.
In the following years, mines were actively built, new reserves of raw materials were explored and quickly developed. The Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Association reached its maximum level of ore production in 1986 - 2,878 thousand tons.
90s
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the PIMCU, unlike many other enterprises, did not stop its activity, but, on the contrary, expanded it. For example, mining of molybdenum and manganese ores was started . In 1994, the head of the administration of Krasnokamensk and the Krasnokamensky district issued a decree on the formation of Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Association OJSC and the enterprise began to exist under the name under which it is now known.
Enterprise in the 21st Century
In the 2000s, the PIMCU carried out a large-scale reconstruction and technical re-equipment of production facilities. The largest sulfuric acid production plant in Eastern Russia commissioned. Serious work has been carried out to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere. In 2016, after all the transformations, the enterprise reached breakeven, making a profit for the first time. This was the result of serious work to reduce costs and increase labor productivity, carried out by the leadership of the association in previous years.
Subordination structure and management
Since 2008, the Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Association has been part of Atomredmetzoloto JSC, which, in turn, is a subdivision of the state corporation Rosatom. The company introduced an advanced production control system - the Rosatom production system (RPS).
Despite the fact that the system is built on a platform dating back to Soviet times, the latest foreign developments are integrated into it. For example, much has been taken from Toyota’s management system. The system allows you to carry out holistic control over the activities of the enterprise, as well as continuously develop and improve production. RPS allows you to simultaneously train staff, reduce costs and improve product quality.
Company Composition
Now PIMCU is mining uranium at two underground mines - No. 1 and No. 8, and the development of the Tulukuy quarry and off-balance dumps is also being completed. In mines, mining is carried out by the mining method, in the quarry - by the method of heap leaching.
At the moment, PJSC "Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Association" includes the following complex of enterprises:
- Hydrometallurgical plant;
- LLC Mechanical Repair Plant;
- sulfuric acid production;
- Telecommunication Enterprise LLC;
- Streltsovsky Construction and Repair Trust LLC;
- LLC "Auto fleet Urtuiskoe";
- LLC "Road Transport";
- coal mine Urtuisky;
- railway workshop.
The association has a Central Research Laboratory, opened in 1971. Her research is aimed at improving the technology of mining and processing of uranium raw materials, facilitating the disposal of waste and the development of various lubricants.
Manufactured products
The main function of the association is the production of uranium concentrate. The company is the industry leader in Russia - in 2015, the volume of finished products amounted to almost 2 thousand tons.
The second most important production at the PIMCU is the production of sulfuric acid. This is done by one of the divisions of the same enterprise where the uranium ore is processed - the Hydrometallurgical Plant. The plant has the most modern equipment from the recognized flagship of the sulfuric acid industry - the Canadian company Monsanto Enviro Chemi Systems. Such equipment allows you to produce the highest quality product at the lowest cost and practically level harmful emissions into the atmosphere. The capacity of the equipment is 180,000 tons of sulfuric acid per year.
The central research laboratory, which is part of the association, is engaged in the development and production of high-quality industrial lubricants. The best developments are SR-K and SR-KU rail greases, as well as the SS-1 lubricating rod. With the help of these inventions, the wear of rails and wheelsets of railway transport is significantly reduced.
In addition to the listed main industries, PIMCU produces many by-products - brown coal, manganese ores, lime and various castings.
Company details
The taxpayer identification number of the Priargunsky industrial mining and chemical association is 7530000048, and the checkpoint is 753001001. The authorized capital is 5,219,517.96 rubles. Legally, the company is registered, of course, in the city of Krasnokamensk at Prospekt Stroiteley, house 11. Zip code - 674673.
Future plans
The leadership of the PIMCU firmly declares that uranium for Russian nuclear power plants will always be in the required quantity. And there are grounds for such statements - the company is constantly undergoing modernization. Production volumes are constantly growing. Currently, they reach 3,000 tons of uranium per year. New promising technologies for the separation of uranium from ore are being developed - soon it will be possible to use reserves that were previously idle due to imperfect mining methods.
At the end of 2017, it was decided to build mine No. 6, which will allow PIMCU to further increase production rates. The extraction of raw materials at the mines should begin before 2020 - this is provided for by the integrated development program of the enterprise. The launch of new facilities promises a great future for the Priargunsky industrial mining and chemical association. Krasnokamensk does not lag behind the city-forming enterprise in development - the city is expanding, infrastructure is developing. Unemployment in Krasnokamensk is small - about one and a half percent, but its authorities promise to liquidate soon. Social facilities are being modernized - hospitals, clinics and schools, the expansion of the airport is planned. The city has its own television studio "TV Center". There is a palace of culture with a 3D cinema.
In a word, PIMCU employees are provided with not only modern and comfortable working conditions, but also quite decent living and recreation conditions. Under such conditions, there is no doubt that Russia will always occupy a worthy place among the world's nuclear powers.