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- Raw material potential: 251 deposits of solid minerals have been discovered in Russia
Raw material potential: 251 deposits of solid minerals have been discovered in Russia
According to preliminary estimates, 251 new objects with reserves of solid mineral resources have been identified in Russia this year, said Alexander Kozlov, head of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation. The most noticeable dynamics was noted in the coal sector: in the first 11 months, the volume of increase in proven reserves exceeded the figures for 2024 by more than seven times. What factors have become key to the growth of the number of discovered deposits, as well as how the growth of the resource base will affect the investment attractiveness of the mining sector and related industries — in the Izvestia article.
Impact on the economy
Each identified deposit is the result of a long and multi-stage geological process, the press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment told Izvestia. It begins with primary studies of the subsurface aimed at finding promising territories and a preliminary assessment of the resource potential, and continues with detailed exploration with the specification of parameters and volumes of mineral reserves. Such a cycle requires significant scientific, technical and organizational efforts before the site can be recognized as industrially significant.
Ensuring sustainable reproduction and expansion of the mineral resource base remains one of the priorities implemented by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. To this end, the regulatory framework in the field of subsoil use is being consistently updated. Thus, the procedures for the provision of public services have been fully digitized, licenses have been unified and issued electronically, the timing of their receipt has been optimized, and the application principle for issuing licenses for geological exploration has been introduced.
Additionally, along with the classic initial discovery mechanism, there is an approach focused on the re-involvement of resources, in which investors get the opportunity to transfer exploration licenses to mining licenses after state registration of reserves formed through the processing of subsurface use waste, the ministry said. Such man-made facilities are provided for use without conducting auction procedures, which increases the investment attractiveness of projects and contributes to a more complete use of the country's mineral potential.
"The discovery of deposits involves the creation of new or increased capacities of existing mining and processing plants, the production of demanded products for the industrial sector. This, among other things, ensures economic growth, an increase in the country's gross domestic product, and the creation of new jobs," the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reported.
Increasing the indicators
In the developed mining regions, a significant part of the resource base has been used for a long time and is facing natural limitations, Olga Pozdnyakova, head of the Popular Front, told Izvestia. Analytics". However, the demand for mineral raw materials continues to increase both in the domestic market and in export supplies.
In this regard, several years ago, following the results of the President's speech at the Eastern Economic Forum, an instruction was given to develop specialized programs for the geological study of the subsurface of the Far East and Siberia with their inclusion in the federal project "Geology. The Rebirth of a Legend", within which new areas of work are being launched today.
"Along with the search for traditional types of minerals, the project focuses on strategic materials in demand in promising sectors of the economy, including titanium, lithium, niobium and rare earths," she recalled.
At the same time, exploration activities by their very nature require a long time horizon, even if sufficient funding is available. However, such investments have a high return potential and are capable of offsetting costs many times over, Olga Pozdnyakova emphasized.
The increase in the number of discovered deposits is largely due to increased state support for geological exploration and the active introduction of digital technologies, Peter Shcherbachenko, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, noted in an interview with Izvestia.
"As part of the Strategy for the Development of the mineral resource base until 2050, 166 billion rubles were allocated for the Reproduction and Use of Natural Resources program alone in 2022-2024, and financing for 2025-2027 is consistently increasing from 72.5 billion rubles in 2025 to 82.7 billion rubles in 2027," he said.
At the same time, the industry is actively using artificial intelligence and machine learning, he added. Solutions such as the field search system developed by ALROSA make it possible to reduce exploration time and generate an economic impact of hundreds of millions of rubles per project.
"At the same time, the market for AI solutions for the extractive industry is already estimated at tens of billions of dollars," he stressed. — By the end of 2025, the volume of corporate implementations of generative AI in Russia will reach about 58 billion rubles, forming a new, smart management model for the mineral resource base.
The growth in the number of new deposits is also due to the rapid adaptation of the Russian mining industry to changes in global conditions, primarily to increased demand for coal and gold, Inna Litvinenko, associate professor of Economics and Management at the Russian State University of Social Technologies, told Izvestia. Record gold prices have increased interest in Russian reserves from Asian and Middle Eastern countries, and foreign policy shifts have contributed to increased attention to coal supplies for the US energy sector.
"The expansion of the resource base in such conditions significantly increases the investment attractiveness of the extractive sector and related industries, creating prerequisites for the influx of significant amounts of capital, the creation of new jobs and accelerated renewal of production facilities," the expert believes.
The increase in the number of deposits being put into circulation is due to a combination of factors, Igor Sergeev, professor at the RANEPA Department of Management in St. Petersburg, told Izvestia. Technological development played a significant role, thanks to which subsurface areas, previously considered economically inefficient, gained industrial attractiveness and began to be accounted for in the balance sheet with subsequent development.
In parallel, in his opinion, there is a recovery in the activity of exploration companies, which expands the front of exploration and evaluation work.
— An additional incentive is the preparation of the Russian mining industry for the implementation of new capital-intensive projects, including in partnership with foreign investors. At the same time, a more systematic and attentive approach by the state to the task of reproducing the country's mineral resource potential remains a key element," he noted.
The growth in coal production also reflects a strategic decision to continue developing coal-fired power, despite the proliferation of initiatives focused on the green agenda, the expert noted.
The expansion of the resource base creates a strong multiplier effect, Sergei Grishunin, managing director of the NRA rating service, told Izvestia. It stimulates demand for heavy machinery, logistics, infrastructure construction, and modern digital technologies for exploration and production, creating new growth points for the industry as a whole and for service industries such as leasing.
— However, it is important to note that the work is not finished. So, for gold, the increase is still lower than last year, and the final results of the year will be announced later," he is sure. — This means that the current results set the bar high and form a positive trend, which will be based on the further development of the industry.
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