Rosneft has become the sole owner of the Vostok Engineering company, which has a license to develop the Buranny section of the Tomtorskoye field in Yakutia. This field is the world leader in reserves niobium, and its potential has not been fully explored.
Tomtorskoye field, discovered back in the 20th century, contains unique crandallite-monazite ores with a high concentration of rare earth metals (up to 12.5%). However, its development was delayed for a long time due to complex logistics. The site is located 400 km from the Laptev Sea and the Lena River, which complicates the transportation of raw materials.
Previously, the option of transshipping cargo from river transport to road transport with subsequent delivery to the Kerdem railway station was considered. However, larger projects are now being discussed.
In February, President Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the development of the rare earth industry, where he raised the issue of starting work at Tomtor. In March, academician Nikolai Pokhilenko proposed creating an industrial cluster in the region, similar to the Norilsk region.
According to his plan, the extracted raw materials could be sent through Khatanga and Dudinka for processing in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. This would speed up infrastructure development and increase the economic efficiency of the project.
The development of the Tomtorskoye field will open up new opportunities for Russian industry. Rare earth metals are in demand in high-tech industries, including electronics, energy and defense. The implementation of the project will strengthen Russia’s position in the global rare earth metal market.
Rosneft is now studying optimal ways to develop the field. The success of this project could be an important step in the development of the Arctic zone and the entire rare earth industries of the country.
Source: @dprom
