#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Journalists first visited the depth of 1989 meters in the Glubokaya mine of the Skalisty pit and saw how this unique project was developing. Mining production here will be organized according to unmanned production standards.
Construction work here is carried out by internal and external contractors strictly according to schedule.
Vadim Podymov, the deputy head of the contracting organization’s division, said that in terms of tunneling technology there are no special differences.
“The classic drill-and-blast method is used. On straight sections we cover an average of 70 linear meters per month. There are 12 people per shift. Currently, work is underway to construct a slope for discharging soil, so that in the future it will be convenient to take it to the surface. In the future, there will be construction of a feeder chamber with a drive-in, where equipment intended for loading skips will be located. According to the schedule, we have to complete all construction work by the third quarter of 2025”, explained Vadim Podymov.
The descending in the cage to a depth of 1989 meters takes ten minutes. The passenger lift passes through levels at a speed of eight meters per second. At the final point, the chief engineer of the Glubokaya mine says that at minus 1989 meters the air temperature rises by 20 degrees, but thanks to the ventilation and air conditioning system, plus 22 degrees comfortable for workers is maintained here. The warmth of the rock is felt when you touch the sides of the tunnel with your hand.
“My task is to control all processes from the beginning of design to the completion of construction work. A year ago, a junction occurred in two exploration workings that connected two shafts to each other, and general mine ventilation appeared in the Glubokaya mine. We plan to start ore mining in 2028. There will be an unmanned ore mine here. We will minimize the number of people in the mine by three times. The main operations and control of the equipment will be carried out from the surface”, said Alexander Cherny, chief engineer and so far the only employee of the Glubokaya mine.
Know-how is also used at the wagon unloading site. Leaving the cage, the car moves along the freight track to the transfer platform, with the help of which it is moved to the adjacent track and approaches the car unloading station. Then, with the help of a winch, it rises to the tipping mark, and the ore from the wagon turned on its side is directly poured into the back of the approaching dump truck. The whole process takes a matter of minutes and significantly helps in removing waste rock from the depths of the mine.
The construction and development of the deepest and most technologically advanced mine will allow by 2036 to increase production at the Skalisty pit from 2.5 million to 4.3 million tons of ore per year. The rich ore of Skalisty contains a whole range of valuable metals, such as copper, nickel, palladium, including rare ones, which are in demand in almost all industrial and production areas.
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Text: Maria Sanina, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
