Gold miner Solidcore starts building Ertis POX hub in Kazakhstan with capacity of 300,000 tonnes of concentrate per year

ASTANA. Oct 31 (Interfax) - Gold miner Solidcore Resources plc (former Polymetal) has started to build the Ertis POX autoclave hub in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, with design capacity of 300,000 tonnes of concentrate per year, the Kazakh president's press service said.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with the CEO of Solidcore, Vitaly Nesis, who said the plant would produce Dore gold with purity of up to 98%.

In addition, the company plans to build a geological laboratory in Karaganda.

It has been reported that project capex is estimated at $800 million and capacity 250,000-300,000 tonnes of concentrate to produce around 15 tonnes of gold per annum. Mechanical completion and start of commissioning are scheduled for the second half of 2027.

The company remains the second largest gold producer in Kazakhstan following the sale of the Russian business. The principal shareholder is a consortium of Omani investors led by the Omani government-owned fund Mercury Investments International with 29.7%.