Polymetal officially launches AHP-2

MOSCOW. April 10 (Interfax) - JSC Polymetal has officially put the second line of the Amur Hydrometallurgical Plant (AHP-2) into commercial operation, the company said.

With the launch of the second line, total production at AHP will increase to 25-30 tonnes of gold per year, up from the current 12-15 tonnes. Investment in the project amounted to over 60 billion rubles, the company said. The project was implemented with the support of concessional targeted financing from VEB.RF.

The new line will enable the extraction of gold from double-refractory ores, which was previously only possible abroad. AHP-2 will process gold-bearing concentrate from the Nezhdaninskoye (Yakutia), Mayskoye (Chukotka), Veduga (Krasnoyarsk Territory) and other deposits.

"Today, more than 60% of the company's reserves consist of refractory and double-refractory ores. Therefore, the plant's second line is a strategically important project not only for Polymetal but for the entire mining industry, as it will allow us to fully realize our technological potential in processing this complex but rich raw material," JSC Polymetal Board Chairman Alexander Govorunov said.

AHP was launched in 2012 and became the first facility in Russia to operate using pressure oxidation leaching technology. In 2018, a modernization of the plant was completed, increasing processing capacity to 180,000-200,000 tonnes of concentrate per year. The implementation of the second pressure oxidation line project (AHP-2) began in 2019.

JSC Polymetal is the largest silver producer in Russia and one of the country's leading gold miners. Its operations are located in the Magadan and Sverdlovsk regions, Khabarovsk Territory, Yakutia and Chukotka. The company is currently owned by Sergei Yanchukov's Mangazeya Group.