The Sukhoi Log deposit is located in Siberia, in the very center of the Lena gold ore basin. Irkutsk is 850 km from it. This field was discovered back in 1961. In the 70s it was actively explored, and in the 80s large-scale preparatory work was carried out here. The last time the draft auction conditions for the development of this vein was proposed to the government by the Ministry of Natural Resources in 2016.
general description
The Sukhoi Log deposit is located among the rocks of the Upper Proterozoic sea sandstones, phyllites and carbonate schists. Actually, its gold-bearing stratum itself is elongated along the axis of the anticlinal inclined fold. The richest ore deposits contain 4-10 grams of gold per ton of gangue. They are located in layers of black slate. In particular, a lot of gold is available at the intersection of the latter with the axial fold zone. In such places during geological exploration, two very promising ore pillars were discovered.
The anticlinal gold-bearing fold of the Sukhoi Log deposit stretches more than 3 km from east to west. Further, the ore sinks underground. According to preliminary data, this huge deposit accounts for about 28% of Russia's gold reserves. At the same time, the forecasted metal resources are about 1953 tons. The Sukhoi Log deposit is also promising in the sense that 1541 tons of silver can also be mined here.
What preparatory work was carried out
At the end of the 80s of the last century, by decision of the government in the area of future developments:
built power lines;
started the construction of the Telmama hydroelectric station;
built the Taksimo-Sukhoi Log road;
reconstructed the runway of the city of Bodaibo.
Direct work on the construction of a gold recovery factory was carried out directly at the deposit itself.
Ore type
Studies conducted in the 70s showed that most of the gold in the Sukhoi Log deposit is associated with sulfide minerals (mainly pyrite). The range of this metal in the rock is 0.5-10 g / ton. The average figure in this case is 2.7 g / ton.
Dry log in the 90s
The first operator of this rich field in the 90s of the last century was Lenzoloto with Australian partners. However, this company, unfortunately, frustrated the development deadlines. And therefore, in 1998, her license was revoked. In the subsequent statements about plans to appoint a new auction sounded from the Ministry of Natural Resources almost annually. However, things got off the ground in this regard only in 2016.
Revaluation of stocks
Sukhoi log is a gold deposit, the study of which was carried out in the 70s by such authoritative institutions of the country as, for example, MISiS, VIMS, VNIIKhT, etc. However, in 2007-2008, the Ministry of Natural Resources decided to re-evaluate its reserves. This work was entrusted to TsNIGRI. The result of the research conducted by the specialists of this institution was a new scheme for processing ore from the deposit. TsNIGRI engineers and geologists have suggested using photometric separation to work with the rock, followed by the use of flotation-gravity technology. Such a technology is considered much more effective than the one that was once used in the USSR.
Who bought the license
The Sukhoi Log deposit (Irkutsk Oblast) will be developed by the Polyus company. It was on her January 27, 2017 that the Ministry of Natural Resources sold the license. This society belongs to Said Karimov. In addition to this company, only Bodaibo Gold Corporation participated in the auction. The lot was sold for 9.4 billion rubles. At the same time, as a deposit on December 21, 2016, the Polyus company contributed 8.5 billion. Specifically, the company created a subsidiary SL Gold LLC to participate in the auction.
Thus, only two contractors claimed for the Sukhoi Log deposit . This is explained primarily by the fact that the state put up for auction at very harsh conditions. For example, foreign contractors were suspended from bidding. Tenders were also obliged in some cases to involve state-owned companies. The result of such a policy of the Ministry of Natural Resources even became that the “Bodaibo Gold” took part in the auction no more than formally - only to ensure that they even took place.
Pole Plans
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Sukhoi Log is a gold mine, the development of which will require a total of about 4-6 billion dollars in investments. At the initial stage, Polyus plans to conduct additional exploration work at the field. For this, it is planned to attract foreign specialists as well. According to the company, a total of about 3-4 years will be required to verify the vein resources. Subsequently, the company's specialists will evaluate the possibility of using the same ore processing technologies on the Sukhoi Log veins as in the nearby Verninsky gold deposit located nearby (also owned by Polyus).