Russian steelmaker NLMK Group has announced that its main resource base Stoilensky GOK has begun the mining of quartzite on the southern bank of the Stoilensky deposit. According to NLMK, the development of this site and the overall expansion of mining operations will enable a 10 percent increase in iron ore output year on year to 38 million mt in the current year and will cover its growing needs in iron ore.
NLMK stated that the launch of the pelletizing plant at Stoilensky and projects aimed at increasing steel production at the Lipetsk site require more quartzite, which is used as feedstock for the beneficiation plant. Stoilensky plans to supply more than 1.5 million mt of quartzite and 750,000 mt of rich ore from the southern deposit by the end of this year.
According to NLMK’s statement, the growth of mining operations will lead to an increase in concentrate production. Stoilensky plans to produce 17.4 million mt of concentrate in the current year, rising by 8.5 percent year on year. Almost seven million mt of this volume will be used for the production of iron ore pellets at the pelletizing plant, and 10.4 million mt will be supplied to NLMK Lipetsk for further sintering.