DUSHANBE, January 27, 2010, Asia-Plus — The results of the first stage of a tender for development of the Konimansuri Kalon (Big Konimansur) silver deposit in Tajikistan’s Sughd province will become known in early February this year, Davlatali Saidov, head of the State Committee for Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest), announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on January 26.
According to him, the list of companies participating in the tender has been submitted for consideration to the government. “The government will select three companies for further participation in the tender within the next few days,” Saidov said, noting that development of the Konimansuri Kalon deposit would allow Tajikistan attracting 2 billion U.S. dollars investments.
He added that foreign investments into Tajikistan’s mining sector were expected to increase in the future.
We will recall that the Government of Tajikistan has appointed International Finance Corporation (IFC) to be the lead advisor in selecting a private investor to develop the Konimansuri Kalon mine’s silver deposits project, which is expected to generate significant benefits for the country.
The infrastructure advisory agreement signed on March 12, 2009 presents an opportunity to develop a project that possibly holds one of the world’s larger silver deposits and could help strengthen Tajikistan’s fiscal resources. IFC is committed to ensuring a transparent and competitive process for the selection of a developer. The project is a key part of the government’s strategy to attract private investment and introduce best practices in procurement. Although Tajikistan has rich deposits of minerals, its remote geographic location and low levels of foreign investment have impeded the development of the mining sector.
The Konimansuri Kalon in Asht region is estimated to contain around 1 billion tons of ore and according to expert estimates, one ton of the deposit”s ore contained around 49 grams of silver, with 0.38 percent zinc and 0.49 percent lead.
