Lake GOK

Main article: Metallurgy in Russia

History

2024: Official Mill Launch

In September 2024, the largest zinc concentrate plant in Russia was launched on the basis of the Ozerny Mining and Processing Plant (GOK) in the Republic of Buryatia. The grand opening took place with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Trutnev and other dignitaries. Total investment in the project amounted to ₽103 billion.

The launch of the plant is part of a large-scale project to develop the Ozerny polymetallic deposit, which is one of the ten largest in the world in terms of reserves and quality of zinc ore. The implementation of this project was made possible by attracting government support mechanisms and project financing, which made it possible to overcome the difficulties associated with the remoteness of the field and the complexity of technology.

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After reaching full capacity in 2025, the Lake GOK will process up to 6 million tons of ore annually, which will ensure the production of up to 600 thousand tons of zinc and 82 thousand tons of lead concentrates. This will make the company the largest producer of zinc concentrate in Russia and one of the leading in the world. During the opening ceremony, Yuri Trutnev noted the importance of the project for the whole country, emphasizing its contribution to strengthening the economic sovereignty of Russia and the creation of more than 1,200 jobs.

Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexei Chekunkov also stressed the importance of launching the Ozerny GOK, calling it the largest investment project in Buryatia. According to him, this enterprise will become a new industrial flagship in the Far East and will ensure the long-term development of the region's economy.

The head of the republic, Alexei Tsydenov, in turn, noted that the construction of the Ozerny GOK is the most important project for the region, providing new jobs and improving the socio-economic situation of the republic. The construction of the plant began in 2019, and since then large-scale work has been done to create infrastructure and technological base.^[1]

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