Where is Tominsky mine located? Notifications. Main environmental risks

The Tominsky GOK project will not cause damage to nature and especially to the Shershnevsky reservoir if it is changed. Such a statement based on the results of an independent environmental audit was made at a press conference in Chelyabinsk on June 23. What, according to scientists, needs to be corrected for the benefit of the Russian Copper Company (RMC) and the peace of mind of the South Urals residents, what actions will the governor take and whether the Korkinsky open-pit mine will become a tailings dump - in the material Chelyabinsk.ru.

The first to learn the results of the environmental audit were its organizers - the Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region Boris Dubrovsky and the Minister of Ecology of the region Irina Gladkova. Before announcing the results of the examination, they held a meeting with environmental auditors and RMK management.

The main conclusion made by experts from the Ural State Mining University (UGMU) is that the construction and operation of the plant is possible taking into account recommendations for environmental protection and risk reduction. The auditors recommended abandoning the hydrometallurgical production technology and proposed storing sand from the tailings of the Tominsky GOK in the Korkinsky open-pit mine.

“Refusal of hydrometallurgical production technology ensures the complete elimination of the negative impact of the Tominsky Mining and Processing Plant on the Shershnevskoye Reservoir,” emphasized Olga Guman, professor of the Department of Hydrology, Engineering Geology and Geoecology of the USGU. “We also recommend considering alternative options for storing dewatered enrichment tailings, including their transportation and storage in mined-out spaces, for example, for the liquidation of the Korkinsky open-pit mine.”

President of Russian Copper Company CJSC Vsevolod Levin thanked Boris Dubrovsky for organizing the environmental audit and stated that the company agreed with the auditors’ recommendations, and the governor emphasized that the environmental audit recommendations adopted by RMK change the architecture of the project and make it more nature-friendly: “The new project solves the old problem of the Korkinsky open-pit mine. This is an important argument for building a dialogue with civil society. We hear each other, are looking for a compromise and will come to a common solution that will suit all interested parties.”

So, according to the audit findings, the activities planned by the design decisions generally comply with the requirements established by regulations and documents in terms of the completeness and reliability of the data presented and the assessment of the environmental impact of all facilities of Tominsky GOK JSC. And the implementation of “planned activities in existing design solutions, taking into account recommendations regarding environmental protection and reduction of social risks” was recognized as possible, despite the risks that are removed by implementing the recommendations.

“We saw the risks associated with new construction on the tailings dump, water bodies, and some other issues,” said Vice Governor Oleg Klimov. “But we note with satisfaction that the recommendations that we will implement will also be taken into account by RCC, and we are moving away from the vast majority of serious risks (tailings storage and hydrometallurgical production).”

According to the deputy head of the region, the auditors proposed “a very interesting storage model for the Korkinsky open-pit mine.” “In this way we will solve two problems – the reclamation of the open-pit mine and the release of the territory from the tailings dump,” he noted. – We are still at the beginning of the path that we have embarked on together with RMK and scientists. If the project is implemented, it will look completely different.”

The vice-governor added that the authorities received a lot of requests from South Urals residents concerned about the lack of a competent assessment of the Tominsky GOK project. “We understand that there must be a clear scientific justification for the project after analyzing existing documentation,” emphasized Oleg Klimov. – Therefore, a decision was made to conduct an audit, and RMK agreed to an agreement. The scientists did simply titanic work, studying 588 volumes of design and technological documentation. We conveyed the structured concerns of our citizens to the experts.”

Expert Olga Guman noted the significance of the Tominskoye deposit for Russian industry and the harmlessness of production: “Among the known deposits of porphyry copper ores in Russia, Tominskoye seems to be the most significant and belongs to deposits of federal significance. There are world analogues to the development of copper deposits near large cities - Seville in Spain (20 km from the city) and Salt Lake City in the USA (8 km from the city). The tailings will not harm the underground waters of the Korkinsky mine. Harm to the Shershnevsky Reservoir is also excluded, taking into account our recommendations. This is not a meteorite that flew to you, this is a normal engineering solution, and abandoning hydrometallurgical production is beneficial for RCC.”

Olga Guman's speech ended with liquid applause, which caused laughter from part of the audience.

“We are grateful for the idea of ​​the audit - residents will see the opinion of specialists and an assessment of the project. We have heard the recommendations, we will rework everything technically and, if it is technically and economically possible, we will accept them,” said RMK Director for Ecology Natalya Gonchar. “We will make a decision on whether to build a tailings dump or use the Korkinsky open-pit mine after receiving all the documentation and economic calculations.”

At the end of the press conference, Natalya Gonchar emphasized that sulfuric acid will not be used at the Tominsky GOK: “Oxidized ores will be processed together with sulfide ores at the processing plant. We will work through and calculate everything. We direct the tailings by hydraulic transport in a ratio of one to three. If we are talking about filling the Korkinsky open-pit mine, it is impractical to drive such a volume, so we need to consider paste thickening technology, when at the site itself we reduce the volume of water by 50% and the ratio of solid to liquid is one to two. We are also abandoning the dam’s height – 91 m. The option with a tailings dump and the option with paste thickening and transportation to the Korkinsky open-pit mine must be assessed, and only after that a decision will be made.”

According to Chelyabinsk.ru, negotiations with the Chelyabinsk Coal Company (CHUK) have been going on for a long time, and RMK initially planned to lay pipes from production to the Korkinsky open-pit mine. An informed source of the site reported that theoretically and technically this option is possible, and the project will be safe as long as the equipment is new, but the open-pit mine can be completely filled in 20 years (the volume of the open-pit mine is 1.8 billion tons, the volume of waste from the Tominsky GOK is approximately 800–900 million tons). But, according to the expert, the tailings will not immediately extinguish endogenous fires - only when the quarry is full.

“At the same time, no one has studied how groundwater flows - water from wells gushes in the section, and there is no guarantee that they are not connected with Hornets and other water bodies,” the Chelyabinsk.ru source emphasized. “There are not even gophers 23 km around the Mikheevsky Mining and Processing Plant, but here there is such proximity to a city of a million people, and a complete lack of hydrological studies. In 2018, the mine will be closed and transferred to the municipal ownership of Chelyabinsk, since Korkino will not be suitable - the deputies and the administration are not interested, and there is not enough money. This is if RMK does not buy the quarry.”

Earlier, RMK press secretary Timofey Kolotovkin denied reports about the future use of the Korkinsky open-pit mine for a tailings dump: “The company is not buying the Korkinsky open-pit mine, this is not true, although the possibility of RMK’s participation in the reclamation of the open-pit mine was discussed.” Now RMK is talking about using the cut openly, but evasively - the consent of the PUC has not yet been received.

The general director of PUC Valery Kalyanov told a Chelyabinsk.ru correspondent on Thursday that he was not very happy with this development of events: “Yes, they are trying to create a working group to develop a definition of the opportunity, but it is still at the conversation stage. This is not the first time we have returned to this, but no decisions have been made yet. Today at a meeting with the governor, I said that we are continuing to implement our reclamation project, we are not going to retreat from it, we are practically approaching completion. They asked me: “Are you against it?”, but as a manager, I believe that it is impossible to do two projects at the same time. To rehabilitate a cut, you need to close it. Either we mine coal or dump waste. Well, when the mine is closed, I will lose my job, and before that I need to fire 700 employees. In general, this is a lot of problems for me.”

51% of South Urals residents and 73% of Chelyabinsk residents spoke out against the construction of the mining and processing plant. Chelyabinsk businessmen and the president of Opora Rossii also spoke out against the mining and processing plant.

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

The Tominskoe porphyry copper ore deposit is located in. According to experts, it is among the top largest deposits in the Russian Federation and is one of the fifty world copper ore giants. In addition to copper, the ore also contains other valuable metals - gold and silver. There are quite 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 is in most cases low. At the Tominsky mine, the copper content in ore is the lowest in Russia.

Operating reserves of the valuable metal are approximately 365 million tons. The copper ore deposit was discovered by prospecting parties in 1985. Volume estimates and distribution range were estimated from 1997 to 2005. Until now, exploration activities aimed at industrial development are being carried out.

The copper ore deposit consists of three types of ores - oxidized, primary sulfide and secondary enriched. The occurrence of minerals is superficial, so their development will be carried out using a quarry method.

Deposit thickness:

• Oxidized ores are estimated at 40-60 meters and are represented by clayey or crushed stone-clayey mass. The ore contains lapis lazuli and malachite in the form of thin impurities and inclusions.
• The secondary enriched layers of ore are 12-15 meters.
• Primary sulfide ore deposits are located at a depth of up to 55 meters and include pyrites and chalcopyrites.

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

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

So, Tominsky GOK. What kind of complex is this and what parts will the enterprise consist of? The Tominskoye field 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 implemented by the Russian Copper Company. The project involves 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 facilities:

• Two open-pit ore mines at the Tominsky deposit and the Kalinovsky site. The development depth is up to 540 meters, the total area is about 4 thousand hectares.
• A production complex for the production of copper concentrate and copper, consisting of (production capacity - 14 million tons of products) with a tailings facility and a closed water supply system, a hydrometallurgical plant (productivity per year - about 1.7 million tons).
• Infrastructure and production complex (engineering, sanitary and other facilities).

The construction of the facility is carried out in close proximity to the city of Chelyabinsk. The Shershnevskoye reservoir is located 10 kilometers from the mining and processing plant, which is the main source of water supply for the city and region. There are several settlements located near the field; residents of some of them will be relocated to new places of residence. The total area required for development is up to 4 thousand hectares.

To ensure full operation, the following infrastructure facilities will be built:

• A branch road from the Chelyabinsk bypass highway.
• A railway line from the village of Pervomaisky (from the Klubnika station).
• To supply electricity, power lines will be laid and substations with a capacity of 142 MVA will be built.
• Systems for the intake, supply and purification of water for industrial, domestic, drinking needs (purified wastewater from the village of Novosineglazovo, the city of Korkino will be used, and it is also planned to collect drainage water from mines and the Korkinsky coal mine).
• Diversion of the gas pipeline from the gas distribution center of ChelyabinskGazcom OJSC.
• Telephone and fiber optic lines for communications.
• Warehouses, storage and preparation rooms for explosives, etc.

An object of Federal significance and an enterprise with the latest technologies is the Tominsky Mining and Processing Plant. What does this suggest? First of all, innovative technologies and methods will be introduced:

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

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

The 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 enterprises.

After the launch of all capacities, the Tominsky GOK in Chelyabinsk will replenish the region’s treasury with taxes in the amount of about 120 billion rubles for the entire period of its operation. The enterprise itself is guaranteed to create 1,200 jobs for the population of the region. When hiring, preference will be given to residents of the nearby Korkinsky and Sosnovsky districts. The expected average wage level is estimated at 40 thousand rubles, which exceeds the average wage level in the region.

The Tominsky GOK can become a catalyst for many industries and the economy as a whole. The construction of such a large-scale facility attracts orders from many enterprises - construction organizations, pipe-rolling and machine-tool factories, companies involved in the construction of infrastructure facilities, etc. Experts estimate that one job for a mining and processing plant specialist will require the creation of up to seven jobs in the sector serving the enterprise.

Like all modern centers of non-ferrous metallurgy, the Tominsky plant pays great attention to environmental protection, the preservation of natural resources and care for the social sphere of adjacent residential areas. To date, investments have been made and construction has begun on several social facilities in the Sosnovsky and Korkinsky districts. Long-term plans include the reconstruction of sanatorium and resort institutions, providing support to hospitals, schools, sports clubs and societies. Several million rubles have already been spent on the social sphere.

In the Urals there are already centers of non-ferrous metallurgy that have gained an unfavorable reputation. One of them is the notorious Karabashmed plant, in the vicinity of which there is practically nothing alive left, and the maximum age of the population is no more than 48 years. Activists opposing the construction of the mining and processing plant created the “StopGOK” movement, whose plans include canceling the construction of the facility.

The main arguments against the construction of the mining and processing plant put forward by the leaders of the movement are as follows:

• Pollution and even possible loss of water from it as a result of deepening the quarry.
• Opponents argue that the tailings pond, which is a huge reservoir of liquid toxic waste from production, will inevitably pollute groundwater, which will lead to an environmental disaster for the entire region.
• There are concerns that exhaust air emissions will cause toxic precipitation, making it practically impossible to breathe. As part of the fight for clean air, an action called “Breathe” was held in Chelyabinsk, 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 ecology 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 being artificially heated up, and that the construction itself and the residents’ fears are being used as a bargaining chip in political games.

To dispel all public fears, Governor B. Dubrovsky initiated an independent examination and audit of TGOK documentation in terms of environmental safety. The assessment was given by specialists from the Yekaterinburg Mining and Geological University, in which they indicated that, taking into account several of their recommendations, the plant and production as a whole do not pose any danger.

The resulting expert opinion did not satisfy the activists, so it was decided to contact the industry center of the mining industry - St. Petersburg University of Mining. Of course, many enterprises built during the first and second waves of industrialization in the Soviet Union do not stand up to criticism. During the construction of these industrial facilities, no one thought about the environment; the situation is different with modern plants and centers.

St. Petersburg scientists confirmed the findings of their colleagues from Yekaterinburg University. Activists still do not listen to the opinions of experts. The experts agreed and stated that the Tominsky GOK project does not pose a serious danger, and that this construction will entail an improvement in the economic situation without damaging the environment.

The concerns of people falling within the sphere of influence of the mining and processing plant can be understood, but the problem must be solved. On one side of the scale is industrialization with the use of all advanced technologies for environmental protection, an increase in living standards, and the possibility of development for the entire country. On the other is the health of the next generations, pristine nature. No one has a general answer to the question yet; we can only hope for a common sense approach to resolving the issue from all parties to the conflict.

Friends from Chelyabinsk yesterday asked me to write something about the Tominsky Mining and Processing Plant in Chelyabinsk. The topic from LiveJournal has already disappeared, there were several paid posts, but Chelyabinsk residents, as you can see, are still worried about this. They complain, but no one cares.

Born in the birthplace of metallurgy - in the Urals, I traveled a lot to small towns that were once built for mining and processing enterprises, I saw a bunch of “fox tails” that came out of factory chimneys. I visited the dead Karabash, and Kyshtym, and the closed Ozersk and Snezhinsk, the atmosphere of which was somewhat damaged by the accident at Mayak. It's tough there. But Chelyabinsk has always been different. Sky.

When you approach the city, a terrible picture appears before you: a black sky, everything is covered in smoke and dirt, but this, of course, is just the outskirts. Everything in the center is divine.

And so, several years ago, ex-governor Mikhail Yurevich began vigorously promoting the project for the construction of the Tominsky GOK.

If anyone doesn’t know, Chelyabinsk residents don’t have the warmest feelings towards Yurevich; I remember in the bearded year, when he replaced Sumin, my aunt swore that children’s travel had become paid, and a number of benefits were canceled for pensioners. Considering that Yurevich and his entire large family have a rather sizable business in Chelyabinsk and beyond, it’s not difficult to guess why they were talking about the mining and processing plant. It is very profitable to mine copper, although there is not much of it there, but if you take a closer look at the project, “the plant will annually process 28 million tons of ore into copper concentrate.” They plan to dig to a depth of 380 meters (380/30 = 12.6) - that's about 12 nine-story buildings. And now a fun fact: since 2004, not a single metro station has been built in Chelyabinsk.

Supporters of the project argue that they promise a huge number of jobs; opponents complain that the mining and processing plant will bring a lot of environmental problems.

I’m more inclined to the second side, not even because work is evil, but because I’m somehow really scared for Chelyabinsk (even though I don’t particularly like it).

So, what about the environment?!

Firstly, around Chelyabinsk there are a bunch of towns, villages and other populated areas, which, mind you, were not deprived of background radiation after the accident at Mayak. Coal is mined right here in Korkino. The Tominsky GOK will be located approximately here; according to environmentalists, the wind rose is directed directly towards Chelyabinsk.

Secondly, the soil: the extraction of any natural resources brings with it a number of problems: soil oxidation, settling air, and so on. Chelyabinsk residents complain that 7 kilometers from the intended crater there is a reservoir (on the map right above the red mark), as well as underground springs. The result of copper mining can be clearly seen in the example of our native Karabash.

The water takes on a red color; after drinking this, you will not only become a little goat, but you will also immediately lose your hooves.

Now let's talk about air. It is impossible to dig a quarry with a shovel to a depth of 380 meters; a hammer drill will not help here either. Only explosives, only hardcore... There’s nothing to say here, the eyes will see everything themselves.

Although the quarry itself (without explosions) looks pretty nice (Kovdorsky GOK in the Murmansk region)

But that is not all. Copper also needs to be processed... I don’t know, maybe the plant won’t be located nearby, but if not...

Copper plant in Norilsk

These are such unpleasant prospects. I have no idea who will go to work in this quarry if in Chelyabinsk at this time it will be impossible to drink or breathe...

JSC Tominsky GOK is a Russian company, operator of the development of the Tominsky porphyry copper ore deposit in the Sosnovsky district of the Chelyabinsk region and the Tominsky GOK under construction (as of 2017). The project is being implemented by (RMK) businessman. The share capital of Tominsky GOK JSC belongs to two Cypriot offshore companies: Groundhill Enterprises Limited and Metallstar Holdings Limited, owning 74.51% and 25.49% of the shares, respectively.

It is planned that the mining and processing plant will annually mine up to 28 million tons of copper ore and produce more than 500 thousand tons of copper concentrate. The complex of industrial facilities will include two open pits with a depth of about 540 meters (Tominsky) and 350 meters (Kalinovsky) with a total area of ​​almost 4,000 hectares. The mining and processing plant complex will also include a processing plant with a tailings dump (open waste storage) with an area of ​​800 hectares and an embankment dam almost a hundred meters high, hydrometallurgical production with heap leaching and solution processing shops, process ponds, sulfuric acid and fuels and lubricants warehouses. The volume of investments in the Tominsky GOK project, according to data for 2016, amounted to about 55 billion rubles, for 2018 - 77.8 billion rubles. The mining and processing plant construction project caused violent public protests in the Chelyabinsk region. Official site .

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