13 Plants to Emerge Near Minusinsk and Sayanogorsk: "Mendeleev Valley" Expands Rare Earth Processing

Magnets, Solar Silicon, and Energy Storage Localized for Defense Industry and Electric Mobility Demands

The Angara-Yenisei cluster for deep processing of non-ferrous, rare, and rare earth metals is acquiring production sites. Ksenia Shoigu, head of the "Mendeleev Valley" foundation, stated in an interview with TASS that nine agreements have currently been signed with large industrial and mining companies, and the main production load will fall on two sites – in Minusinsk and Sayanogorsk.

Around 13 plants are planned to be located at these two sites. The project will cover not only extraction but also the production of final products: permanent magnets, solar silicon, and components for energy storage and batteries.

Shoigu emphasized that the priority market is domestic, where there is an urgent need to ensure technological independence in electric mobility and related sectors. By 2035, the cluster expects to create about 25 thousand jobs, primarily for the local population, with retraining programs.

Construction is planned to begin in 2027, and the first companies will start land surveys this year. Negotiations are underway with foreign investors from China, India, and the Middle East, some of which may be finalized at SPIEF-2026. For the remote areas of southern Krasnoyarsk Krai and Khakassia, this means not just new industrialization, but the consolidation of energy and transport infrastructure, without which such energy-intensive productions cannot be launched.

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