The state corporation is ready to transfer shares in the Dor, Ryveem and Sovinoe projects to strategic partners. Part of the assets may go under the hammer in full; for other packages it is possible to sell up to 49.99%. The company is already planning an audit and search for buyers this year.
Gold has become a new priority for the nuclear giant. Currently, Rosatom Nedra is mining precious metals in Yakutia at the Severnoye deposit. Things are going great there: last year they produced 1.5 tons, which is more than double the previous period. Production is being expanded, new facilities, workshops and laboratories are being built. By 2030, the corporation intends to reach 12 tons of gold annually.
But the state corporation, apparently, will not be able to carry out its projects in Chukotka alone. We need money and the competence of specialized players. Therefore, Rosatom Nedra is looking for someone who will enter the Dor, Ryveem and Sovinoe projects. These are large objects with serious reserves. There are already specifics for Sovinoy: the balance is almost 87 tons gold plus silver. They even planned to launch a mining and processing plant by the end of 2028 and reach a production capacity of 3 tons per year.
The prospects for the remaining areas also look solid. The predicted resources for the Dor are estimated at 36.7 tons, for the Ryveemskoye ore field – at 350 tons. True, these are estimates of different categories, some of them require confirmation. But the company is confident that the total potential of the Chukotka cluster will easily reach 150 tons of ore gold.
This is a window of opportunity for buyers. Rosatom is not a subsoil user in the classical sense, but rather a technology leader. He does not plan to leave the projects completely, but is ready to give his partner a significant share and management rights. A strategic investor is offered to either buy a block of shares on the public market or negotiate a direct transaction.
Who exactly can get into the assets has not yet been disclosed. But the profile of the projects and the scale of the reserves will certainly attract large gold mining companies. They will get ready-made geology, licenses and clear growth prospects.
For the corporation itself, this is not a sale, but a search for balance. Uranium assets in Transbaikalia, rare earth metals in the Murmansk region, zinc in Novaya Zemlya – Rosatom Nedra’s portfolio is huge. Gold remains an important area, but carrying out all projects solely on our own is too time-consuming and costly. It’s easier to find a partner and speed up the launch.
Thus, Chukotka gets a chance for a new powerful gold mining cluster with the participation of private capital, and investors have the opportunity to enter assets with already confirmed reserves. All we have to do is wait for the first proposals.
Source: nedradv.ru
