Khabarovsk Krai has received a strong signal from the junior exploration sector. Two mineral exploration companies have announced plans to invest a combined RUB 566 million in exploration and resource evaluation on the left bank of the Amur River. The plans were unveiled at the Placer Gold of Russia forum, marking one of the largest recent commitments from Russia’s junior exploration sector.
The largest share of the investment—RUB 500 million through 2032—will come from Pilda-Geopoisk. The company plans to explore five licensed areas within the Pildo-Limurchansky exploration district. Preliminary estimates put inferred resources at up to 4.3 tonnes of gold in the P2 category. The ultimate goal is to have 1.4 tonnes of recoverable reserves officially added to the state balance sheet. The company has already made progress in the area. Between 2025 and 2026, the same operator secured official status for seven small deposits in the district, with combined reserves of 220.4 kilograms of gold in the C1 and C2 categories.
The second participant, Altan-Proekt, is pursuing a smaller but clearly defined program. Between 2026 and 2028, the company plans to spend RUB 66 million on geological studies at the Magloy area in Amur District. The 40.7-square-kilometer license area is expected to contain preliminary resources of 2 tonnes of gold in the P1 category. By 2029, the company plans to establish 525 kilograms of recoverable reserves, including 508 kilograms in the C1 category, the highest reserve category commonly used for placer deposits. Average gold grades in the productive horizons are projected at approximately 0.7 grams per cubic meter of gravel.
For a region where placer gold has been mined since the 19th century and many of the most accessible deposits have already been exhausted, this renewed exploration activity is strategically important. Underexplored areas on the left bank of the Amur could provide new reserves and extend the life of the regional gold industry, helping prevent a sharp decline in production.
The announced budgets are not merely preliminary plans. They are backed by licenses and, in some cases, by exploration work that has already been completed. The Far East’s junior exploration sector is demonstrating that smaller companies can attract significant capital for geological exploration, and projects of this kind are likely to play a major role in shaping the region’s mineral resource base over the next decade.
Source: @dprom
Image: OGK Group
