DUSHANBE, April 27, 2011, Asia-Plus — The government will study the investment projects for development of the Konimansuri Kalon (Big Konimansur) silver deposit until the end of this month and we will announce winter of a tender for development of this silver deposit in northern Tajikistan, the head of the State Committee for Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest) Davlatali Saidov told reporters on April 26.
According to him, the government is currently considering the investment projects worked out by BHP Billion from the Netherlands and the consortium that groups Kaztsink (Kazakhstan), Glenmore International (Switzerland), Konimansur (Kazakhstan) and ore refinery Adrasman (Tajikistan).
The GosKomInvest head says that according to the preliminary estimates, more than US$2 billion will be needed for development of the Konimansuri Kalon deposit and development of this deposit will take 30-40 years.
The tender for development of the Konimansuri Kalon deposit was announced in November 2009 and on March 2, 2010, the government approved the short list and four companies, namely; BHP Billion from the Netherlands, which is a leading global natural resources company, Ziti Mining, which is one of the largest Chinese gold producers, Sichuan Group Ltd (JNMC), which is largest Chinese nickel and cobalt producer, and a consortium that groups Kaztsink (Kazakhstan), Glenmore International (Switzerland), Konimansur (Kazakhstan) and ore refinery Adrasman (Tajikistan) were on the list. In the meantime, Ziti Mining and Sichuan Group Ltd (JNMC) have pulled out for some reasons.
We will recall that the Main Geology Directorate head Azim Ibrohim noted on January 11 that a new survey conducted by specialists from Micon International Limited (Micon Int) at the Konimansuri Kalon deposit has raised its possible silver reserves to some 70,000 tons. The previous possible silver reserves of the Konimansuri Kalon deposit had been estimated at some 57,000 tons.
The Konimansuri Kalon in Asht district, Sughd province 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.
The Konimansuri Kalon silver deposit project is expected to generate significant benefits for the country and help strengthen Tajikistan’s fiscal resources. 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.
