en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Russian Federal Agency for Subsoil Use (Роснедра) announced on July 19, 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 tons of iron ore and prospective resources (P2 category) of 180 million tons. This move is part of the Russian Federal Agency for Subsoil Use's 2026 plan for geological research of mineral resources.
The Russian Federal Agency for Subsoil Use (Роснедра) 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 mineral exploration and extraction licenses. 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 tons, producing approximately 597,000 tons of zinc concentrate and 82,000 tons of lead concentrate per year.
At the end of 2025, the Russian Federal Agency for Subsoil Use approved the "2026 and 2027-2028 Planning Period Regional Geological Exploration Work Plan," which is implemented jointly using federal budget funds and funds from subsoil users' own or attracted sources. 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 Kavalerovsky District of Primorsky Krai, and the "Beregovoy" (Береговой) coal forecast 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 publication of geological research blocks to promote the expansion and sustainable development of Russia's mineral resource base.
