Zabaykalsky Division
Nornickel commenced the construction of Bystrinsky GOK in 2013. In October 2017, Nornickel started the pre-commissioning activities. Bystrinsky GOK was commissioned in 2019 and reached its design capacity in 2020.
In 2020, Zabaykalsky Division accounted for 13% of the Group’s total copper.
Mining
Bystrinsky GOK mines gold-iron-copper ores of the Bystrinskoye deposit.
| Mining asset | Mine type | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total ore | 7.86 | 10.49 | 16.04 | |
| Bystrinskoye deposit | 7.86 | 10.49 | 16.04 | |
| Verkhneildikansky open-pit mine | Open-pit | 7.43 | 8.60 | 11.57 |
| Bystrinsky-2 open-pit mine | Open-pit | 0.43 | 1.89 | 4.47 |
Concentration
The concentrator construction commenced in 2015; the facility’s purpose is to process ores of the Bystrinskoye deposit into copper, iron ore and gold concentrates. The key processing stages include crushing, milling, flotation, thickening, filtration and end product packaging. The concentrator has two processing lines. In 2020, it processed 9.76 mln t of ore (2019: 7.5 mln t). The increase was due to scheduled ramp-up to design capacity.
Copper and iron ore concentrates are sold via third parties, while gold concentrates are further processed at the Polar Division.
| Product | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ore processing, mln t | 3.8 | 7.5 | 9.8 |
| Copper (in copper concentrate), t | 19,417 | 43,489 | 62,663 |
| copper content in the concentrate, % | 25.4 | 25.5 | 24.7 |
| Gold (in copper and gold concentrates), koz | 89 | 177 | 241 |
| gold content in the concentrate, g/t | 6,218 | 4,034 | 3,050 |
| Iron ore concentrate, kt | 346 | 1,311 | 2,047 |
| iron content in the concentrate, % | 64.1 | 64.6 | 64.2 |