OREANDA-NEWS. September 26, 2011. On September, 22 Petrozavodsk was a venue for the inter-regional meeting Using Products of the Mining Complex of the Republic of Karelia at Construction and Repair of Highways, Use of Modern Materials and Technologies in Public Road System.

The event was organized by the Federal Road Agency and the Government of Karelia. Heads of departments of federal and regional motorways, directors of enterprises of the mining complex of Karelia, scientists, representatives of Russian Railways Inc. have gathered in Petrozavodsk. The meeting was chaired by Nikolai Bystrov, Deputy Head of the Federal Road Agency, and Yuri Kancher, First Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia.

In his welcome speech Yuri Kancher has mentioned that mining is one of the key branches in our region. Karelian road metal is the best for road construction, therefore, issues of its production, transportation and use in other regions of Russia are important for the republic. In turn, Nikolai Bystrov has pointed out that nowadays quality of roads is directly related to quality of road metal. The meeting in Petrozavodsk is the first step of the Federal Road Agency in development and implementation of technical policy related to stone materials used in road construction.

As it was observed at the meeting, today more than 30 mining enterprises of Karelia extract stone to produce road metal. Karelia is rich with deposits of natural stone, as no other region in the European part of the country. Special properties of raw material, modern technologies and equipment allow to make high-quality road metal proof to deterioration increasing service life of the roadway. Currently, produce of Karelian miners is used in Moscow, St.-Petersburg and many other regions for construction of automobile roads and railways. Karelian quarries expand capacities, boost production that is especially important now, in anticipation of substantial growth of the volume of road construction in regions in the near future.

Since 2012 Road Funds will start working in regions of Russia. Due to increase in financing of the road complex it is planned to repair most of the federal roads, to construct new lines, and qualitative materials and technologies are necessary for qualitative construction. Participants of the meeting discussed organization and coordination of harmonious development of mining industry, road construction and transportation of road metal.

Deputy director of the Institute of Geology of Karelian Research Centre Vitaly Shekov has cited some significant statistics. A little more than 10 million tons of rubble is produced in Karelia in a year, and in the neighbouring Finland this parameter exceeds 100 million tons. And simultaneously with mining our Finnish neighbours develop tourism not being afraid of the adjacency of the two branches of economy so different, which on the contrary scares many in Karelia. The needs for rubble only in the Northwest of Russia are estimated to make 122 million tons annually. Thus, at reasonable approach to construction of quarries the republic has great prospects for development of its mining complex.

Vice-president of the Nedra (Bowels) Association Yuri Korenkov has told about problems on the way of creation of the new mining enterprises. The main of them is imperfection of the federal legislation in this area and great administrative barriers. According to Yuri Korenkov, to collect the necessary documentation to open a road metal quarry takes us three years on the average, while in Finland it takes one month. Many questions arise because of disagreements between miners with timber merchants.

However, a key problem for the branch today stated by Yuri Kancher and directors of mining enterprises is transportation of road metal. Lack of railway cars and high transportations tariffs essentially limit opportunities of using Karelian stone in central regions of the country.

On results of discussion at the inter-regional meeting representatives of the Federal Road Agency have summarize offers in the final resolution. It will be used for modification in the legislation, work with federal authorities and improvement of cooperation with railroaders.