en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Russian Federal Agency for Subsoil Use (Rosnedra) announced on July 17, 2026, that it has updated the list of blocks for geological research, adding the "Soukhusan" (Соухусан) iron ore block located in the Yeravninsky District (Еравнинский район) of the Republic of Buryatia. The block has predicted resources (P1 category) of 67 million tonnes of iron ore and prospective resources (P2 category) of 180 million tonnes. This move is part of the Russian Federal Agency for Subsoil Use's 2026 annual plan for geological research of mineral resources.
The Russian Federal Agency for Subsoil Use (Rosnedra) is a federal executive body under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, responsible for policy formulation and implementation in state subsoil management, including the issuance and supervision of licenses for mineral exploration and extraction. The newly added Soukhusan iron ore block belongs to the Yeravninsky mining area, located in the Yeravninsky District of the Republic of Buryatia, approximately 4.5 kilometers southwest of the operating Ozernoye (Озерное) lead-zinc polymetallic deposit. The Ozernoye deposit is one of the world's largest zinc mines, with an annual ore processing capacity of 6 million tonnes, producing approximately 597,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate and 82,000 tonnes of lead concentrate per year.
At the end of 2025, the Russian Federal Agency for Subsoil Use approved the "2026 Regional Geological Exploration Work Plan and the 2027-2028 Planning Period," which will be implemented using federal budget funds and funds owned or attracted by subsoil users. According to the plan, between 2026 and 2028, the Russian Federal Agency for Subsoil Use will conduct geochemical survey work in this block. In addition to the Soukhusan iron ore block, the newly added blocks include the "Polygon 3" (Полигон 3) technogenic tin, lead, zinc, and copper mining area in the Kavalerovo District of Primorsky Krai, and the "Beregovoy" (Береговой) coal prediction block in the Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky District of Sakhalin Oblast.
The discovery and assessment of the Soukhusan iron ore block will provide a new raw material base for the ferrous metal industry in the Russian Far East. The block's proximity to the Ozernoye deposit allows for the use of existing infrastructure, reducing development costs. The Russian Federal Agency for Subsoil Use stated that it will continue to advance the selection and release of geological study blocks to promote the expansion and sustainable development of Russia's mineral resource base.
