OREANDA-NEWS. On 21 July 2008 was announced, that Russian Mineral and Chemical Company EuroChem and leading world companies dealing with drifting to shafts: THYSSEN SCHACHTBAU GMBH (Germany) and Shaft Sinkers PTY Ltd (South African Republic) signed the contracts for construction of technological complexes of the skip and the latticed mine shafts of the Gremyachinsky potassium salt Deposit (Kotelnikovo town, the Volgograd Region).

The contract at the amount of EUR 205 mln. was signed with THYSSEN SCHACHTBAU GMBH (Germany) for construction of the skip shaft technological complex and the contract for building and assembly jobs while drifting to the skip mine shaft of the Gremyachinsky Deposit.

THYSSEN SCHACHTBAU GMBH is scheduled to sign anon:

• Supply agreement for equipment and shaft armor with working shelves and mining copra at the total amount of EUR 9 mln.

• Contract for rendering of services in projection, accompaniment and management of the skip shaft construction at the total amount of EUR 37 mln.

The contracts were signed by the general director EuroChem, MCC, OJSC Dmitry Strezhnev, the technical director THYSSEN SCHACHTBAU GMBH Norbert Handke and the commercial director THYSSEN SCHACHTBAU GMBH Markus Beermann.

The contracts assume rendering full list of works, essential for construction of the skip shaft technological complex of the Gremyachinsky Deposit mine, including complete supply ensurance, assembling and setting up equipment of the shaft technological complex (lifting machines, copper, armoring, freight lifting capacitors, process automation, alarm system and communications etc.).

Drifting to the skip shaft is scheduled to accomplish by application of the special means of drifting – “congelation of rocks” for making criohydrated enclosure of the passable shaft in and around water-bearing rocks.

Preparatory works were commenced in May of 2007. Completion of the skip shaft construction and commissioning thereof are scheduled for November 2012.

The contract at the amount of USD  270 mln. was signed with Shaft Sinkers PTY Ltd (South African Republic) for rendering building and assembling jobs for construction of the latticed shaft technological complex of the Gremyachinsky Deposit of potassium salt.

The contracts were signed by the general director EuroChem, MCC, OJSC Dmitry Strezhnev, the managing director Shaft Sinkers PTY Ltd (South African Republic) Robert Schroder and the financial director Shaft Sinkers PTY Ltd (South African Republic) Christopher Hall.

Shaft Sinkers PTY Ltd is the leading company, dealing with drifting to shafts through the preliminary tamping of rocks technique.

The contract makes a fundamental distinction between construction of the latticed shaft technological complex of the future mine and drifting to the similar shafts in preceding years.

Special technique of drifting to shafts, that is supposed to apply while drifting to the latticed shaft in and around water-bearing rocks, - is the preliminary tamping of rocks.

Preparatory works were commenced in June of 2007. Completion of construction of the skip shaft technological complex and commissioning thereof are scheduled for January 2012.

The contract at the total amount of EUR 17 mln. was concluded for elaboration of the basic project of potassium salt concentrating plant with productive capacity of 2.3 mln. tons a year. The elaboration of the project will be implemented by HATCH (Canada) – the recognized leader in projection of mining enrichment plants.

The contract at the total amount of USD  12 mln. was concluded for elaboration of the technical project for the Gremyachinsky potassium salt Deposit. The project is rendered by leading in Republic of Belarus scientific-research and planning Institute of mining and chemical industry Belgorkhimprom, OJSC (Republic of Belarus). There are under 750 employees working in the company. Since 2006 the Institute has rendered scientific and methodical, organizational and technical assistance to geological survey of the Gremyachinsky Deposit.

EuroChem has been engaged in mastering the Gremyachinsky Deposit of potassium salt in the Volgograd Region since 2006. It has already been ascertained, that the Deposit is unique by the amount of potassium salt reserve (the reserve is over 1,2 bln. tons according to geological survey data) and by the exceptional quality of ore, including under 41% of potassium chloride.

The total cost of the project is over RUR 40 bln. This is one of the largest investment projects of private companies in the newest Russian history. After launch of the mining enrichment plant on the basis of the Gremyachinsky deposit in 2012 EuroChem will become the first in Russian and the fourth in the world company producing the entire range of mineral fertilizers: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.