Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation – Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexey Chekunkov and Governor of the Murmansk Region Andrey Chibis took part in the solemn ceremony of commissioning the new underground horizon +10 meters of the Kirovsky mine of the Kirov branch of JSC Apatit (PhosAgro Group).
"First of all, I want to thank everyone who made the project happen: builders, employees of the company, the management of the company that made the investment decision. Thanks to the launch of a new horizon, the mine is provided with reserves for many more years, its productivity is growing, and production is growing. In addition, thanks to the Kirov branch of Apatit JSC, the social sphere is developing, and the city of Kirovsk itself is growing. The ore mined here serves as a raw material for the production of PhosAgro fertilizers, which are exported to 100 countries around the world. His work is important not only for the Murmansk region, it is important for our whole country, it makes Russia stronger," Yuri Trutnev began the ceremony.
The implementation of the project for the development of a new underground horizon +10 meters at the Kirovsky mine began in December 2015. It was associated with the need to compensate for the mine horizons that were out of order and, as a result, to preserve and increase the production of apatite-nepheline ore.
About two thousand specialists from more than 50 contractors were employed in the installation and preparation of the facility for operation. The work was carried out in underground conditions, excluding the use of conventional lifting cranes due to limited space. The most advanced technologies and technical solutions were used. In particular, ballast-free rail tracks, high-capacity railway rolling stock, modern equipment in crushing and delivery complexes, which provides a given performance of the flow-through transport system of each wing of the horizon, as well as materials and technologies that increase the resource of structures.
In early February 2022, the first stage of the investment project was completed: pilot tests were launched at crushing and delivery complex No. 1 and the Kukisvumchorrsky wing of the horizon +10 meters locomotive rolling back complex. By October 2023, work was completed on the construction of non-crushed ore bunkers, loading hatches, the construction of reinforced concrete structures, installation of equipment in the bottom unloading chambers of trolleys, as well as work on the construction of railway infrastructure. In addition, the crushing and delivery complex was restored to the design dimensions of the crushing chamber after drilling and blasting, a plate was mounted for the crusher, the main lifting mechanism was mounted in the crushing chamber, the feeders of the crusher and the crusher were installed. Work was also carried out on the lining of the crusher and the installation of the drive. All conveyors of the second stage of the project have been installed, the longest of which reaches 1.6 thousand meters. At the end of October last year, the first apatite-nepheline ore was mined at the Yuksporsky deposit of the new horizon +10 meters of the Kirovsky GOK Apatit mine. The cost of the investment project exceeds 36 billion rubles.
The Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, Alexey Chekunkov, noted that not only the well-being of the whole country, but also the global economy depends on companies such as PhosAgro.
"First of all, I want to join the words of gratitude expressed by Yuri Petrovich. We know that the global economy depends on companies like PhosAgro. Your work ensures the food security of the Russian Federation and the food balance of the whole world. In this regard, I would like to note separately the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of strong settlements in the Arctic, which included the Kirovsko-Apatitskaya agglomeration. Now, together with the team of Andrey Vladimirovich Chibis, we are developing a master plan that will be adopted by July 1. And by November, a long-term decision will be made by the Government of the Russian Federation on how to accelerate work to improve the quality of life of people in Kirovsk, Apatity and other key settlements of our Arctic. The well-being of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and the whole country for many years to come depends on what forces you invest. Congratulations on the launch of the new mine," he said.
"This is a landmark project for the Murmansk region – the new horizon will provide 300 million tons of ore reserves. The company will actively live and develop. This was made possible thanks to the favorable investment climate that was created in the Murmansk region and the Russian Federation with your support, Yuri Petrovich. Of course, I express my great gratitude to the working team. I bow low to our partner, PhosAgro, which not only invests in the development of production within the framework of joint solutions, but also in the development of the social sphere of the city of Kirovsk. I wish you success and that the project provides as much ore as production needs," said Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, during the launch ceremony of the horizon +10 meters.
Separately, the Deputy Prime Minister drew attention to the need to comply with all safety measures in such industries.
"The Kirovsky mine uses safety technologies that are simply not available at a number of mines. I think this is very important, because right now rescue work is underway at the Pioneer mine in the Amur region. Rescue teams of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations are making every possible effort to save people. The work of miners always carries some kind of risk, so the task of enterprises, the task of all of us, is to make this risk as small as possible, to save every human life," Yuri Trutnev stressed.
"In 2023, PhosAgro allocated a record amount of investments – more than 64 billion rubles - for the development and modernization of production facilities. This year we plan to raise this level by another 13% to 73 billion rubles. In accordance with PhosAgro's comprehensive development strategy until 2025, these funds will be used both to develop a unique ore and raw material base, and to expand and modernize the capacities of enterprises producing 57 brands of mineral fertilizers, which are in high demand both by Russian farmers and in 100 countries on all inhabited continents. A significant part of these funds will be spent here in Kirovsk. So, this year we are starting construction of a new mine for the development of the Rasvumchorr Plateau deposit. The total volume of capital investments in the implementation of this investment project will amount to about 38 billion rubles. In addition, at the end of this year, we plan to start underground mining of the Gakman Yuksporsky field of the Kirovsky mine," said Mikhail Rybnikov, General Director of PJSC PhosAgro.
The total volume of apatite-nepheline ore reserves involved in mining with the commissioning of the new horizon of the Kirovsky mine will amount to about 300 million tons. In 2023, more than 2.5 million tons of apatite-nepheline ore were extracted as part of pilot tests at the horizon of +10 meters of the Kirovsky mine.
In the future, the new horizon will contribute to increasing the volume of ore production by the Kirovsky mine to 25 million tons of ore by 2025. It is expected that by 2028, the horizon's productivity will reach 9.4 million tons per year. When reaching the design capacity, the share of the horizon +10 meters in the volume of ore produced by the Kirovsky mine will amount to 36%.
As part of the solemn event, an award ceremony was also held for employees and contractors who participated in the launch of the new horizon +10 meters of the Kirovsky mine of the Apatit Mining and Processing Plant. The project participants were awarded Certificates of Honor from PhosAgro, letters of thanks from the Kirov branch of Apatit JSC, the title of "Honored Worker of PhosAgro" with the presentation of a silver commemorative badge. The ceremony was held at the Kirov City Palace of Culture.
Recall that the Kirovsky mine is the largest and oldest mine of the Kirov branch of JSC Apatit. It has been calculating its history since 1929. Currently, the mine is working on the Kukisvumchorr and Yuksport deposits. It is one of the five largest underground mines in the world and is one of the largest in Europe. Today, its annual production capacity is 23 million tons of ore. The length of roads in the Kirovsky Mine subway exceeds 380 km, which is three times longer than the operational length of the St. Petersburg metro lines.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /