en.Wedoany.com Reported - Russia plans to create a metallurgical cluster in the Murmansk Region. This was announced by Alexander Galushka, President of the "Crystal of Growth" Fund (Kristall rosta), during a meeting of the State Council's Commission on the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic, held on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The first phase of the project involves developing a deposit containing nearly 19% of Russia's chromium reserves. Although the specific site was not mentioned during the meeting, only one large chromium deposit in the Murmansk Region's state balance sheet matches these characteristics — the Sopcheozerskoye (Sopcheozerskoye) deposit. As of 2024, this deposit has A+B+C1 category reserves of 4.8 million tons, of which C1 accounts for about 4.6 million tons; C2 category reserves stand at 4.7 million tons.
A report by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources (Minprirody) on the development of the mineral resource base notes that the development of the Sopcheozerskoye and Aganozerskoye (Aganozerskoye) deposits in the Republic of Karelia is constrained by low ore grades, with chromium oxide content at 23-26%. Russia currently lacks industrial technology to produce qualified concentrates from such ores suitable for smelting standard ferrochrome (Cr content above 65%), and mining technical conditions are complex. However, ores from similar deposits in other countries have been processed to produce charge chrome (chardzh-khroma).
The project plans to build ferrochrome production facilities based on this deposit, forming a vertically integrated chain of "chromium concentrate — ferrochrome — stainless steel."
According to Alexander Galushka, the second phase plans to establish production facilities for stainless and special steels using raw materials such as chromium, titanium, vanadium, and nickel. To this end, the Yugo-Vostochnaya Gremikha (Yugo-Vostochnaya Gremikha) deposit, which holds titanium, iron, and vanadium reserves, is slated for development. Subsequently, a processing center for rare and rare-earth metals (RZM) is planned based on the "Alluaiv" (Alluaiv) block of the Lovozerskoye (Lovozerskoye) deposit, producing niobium, tantalum, and zirconium. The final stage involves building production facilities for new energy materials and battery materials.
The project is currently in the development phase of a financial and economic model, after which it will move to constructing an investment model and seeking Russian and foreign investors. According to instructions from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the government, the Maritime Board (Morskaya kollegiya), and the State Council must, by August 31, compile a list of interrelated projects and determine their implementation sequence, submit financial, economic, and organizational models, and submit the projects themselves by November 15.
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