OREANDA-NEWS. November 29, 2011. Since the beginning of 2011 the situation in mining industry has improved considerably compared to the similar period of the previous year: demand for building nonmetallic materials and, as consequence, of their selling price grows.

Production index for Extraction of metal ores on results of 9 months of 2011 has made 102.3%, for Extraction of other minerals this parameter is 168.8%. The volume of production on the basis of quantities has also increased. The physical volume of extraction of nonmetallic building materials has grown 1.5-fold compared to the similar period of 2010 to 12,253 million cubic metres. Extraction of rubble and gravel has grown by 52% to 9,8 million cubic metres, extraction of block stone – by 19% to 23,500 cubic metres.

As of today the best parameters in production of road metal were achieved by such enterprises, as Prionezhsky Mining Company Ltd., Karelprorodresurs Ltd., Bolshoi Massiv Opencast Mine JSC. The best results in extraction of block stone belong to KARA-TAU Ltd. and Drugaya Reka JSC.

Investment interest to development of resources of the republic grows, also among foreign companies: large German companies DEUTSCHE ASPHALT and STRABAG finance projects of organization of production of road metal in Kondopoga region. Since August, 2011 the basic founder of Karelnerud holding that includes such enterprises as Golodai Gora Opencast Mine JSC, Bolshoi Massiv Opencast Mine JSC and Shocksha Quartzite JSC has become a French company Lafarge A&C.

As of today in territory of the republic there are 506 valid licenses to use subsurface resources, including 36 licenses on non-commonly occurring minerals, 104 - for extraction of underground waters, 366 - for widespread minerals, of them 144 licenses to extract building stone for production of road metal.

In autumn Petrozavodsk was a venue for the inter-regional meeting with participation of the management of the Federal Road Agency. Karelia at the meeting was called one of the basic regions in the European part of Russia possessing large stocks of building stone for production of high-strength road metal.