This autumn, Kolyma will test a new method for registering gold from man-made placers – gold mining tailings – on the balance sheet. This will allow mining to begin in six months instead of three years, Anatoly Shirokov, Chairman of the Magadan Oblast Duma, told TASS.
According to industry experts, the region's tailings contain an estimated 300 to 1000 tons of gold. Exploration and exploitation will proceed in parallel: the metal will be registered on the balance sheet during the mining process. Previously, subsoil users had to conduct full-scale, expensive exploration, even though the tailings had been processed three to five times, making it difficult to accurately assess the remaining gold.
The first two sites will be registered under the simplified scheme in September-October. If the experience proves successful, Rosnedra will be able to implement this practice in other regions. The methodology was used in the Soviet Union, and the recommendations were refined by the regional Mining Council established this year. According to Shirokov, this will provide an economic effect by reducing subsoil users' costs.