In 2015, CGN Mining Company Limited completed the acquisition of 100% equity interests in Beijing Sino-Kazakh Uranium Resources Investment Company Limited (“Beijing Sino-Kazakh”) with USD 133 million. After the completion of acquisition, the Company now holds 49% equity interests in Semizbay-U Limited Liability Partnership and 49% sales rights of the off-take of uranium products for natural uranium products of two uranium mines in operation and sales (Semizbay-U Mine and Irkol Mine) through Beijing Sino-Kazakh, and became a uranium resource development and trading company with clear main business.
Semizbay-U Mine
Semizbay-U Mine is located at the junction of Akmola, Republic of Kazakhstan and North Kazakhstan, 110km northeast of the Prairie City of Warihanov (V.) District in Akmola. The mine covers a mining lease of 27.2 km2, and exploitation can be conducted within 180m deep on the earth's surface. As of December 31, 2013, Semizbay-U Mine has employed a total of 300 employees and 33 temporary workers and contract workers.
Semizbay uranium ore is an in-situ leachable sandstone type uranium deposit. The mine construction was started in 2006 and the designed output is about 508 tons of uranium/year. It was put into operation in 2009, and the designed output is 508 tons of uranium /year (about 1.32Mlb U3O8). The target output was reached in 2012, and it is estimated to stop production in 2031.
Semizbay uranium ore well site
Semizbay uranium ore field drilling
Semizbay uranium ore product solution processing workshop
Irkol Mine
Irkol Mine is located at SHIELI, Kyzylorda of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the uranium mineralization zone is in the Sirdarin (V.) uranium ore province. The total prospecting area of the project zone is 44 km2, and the burial depth of the ore body is about 400~700m.
Irkol uranium ore is an in-situ leachable sandstone type uranium deposit. It was put into operation in 2007, and the designed output is 711 tons of uranium /year (about 1.85Mlb U3O8). The target output was reached in 2010, and it is estimated to stop production in 2029. By the end of December 2013, Irkol Mine has employed a total of 204 employees and 23 temporary workers and contract workers.
Latest Developments
In early 2017, Kazatomprom announced that its controlled mine would reduce production by 10% to cope with the sluggish natural uranium market. The two mines of Semizbay-Uwere run well in 2017. The actual production is 1128 tons of uranium, 9.18% lower than 1242 tons in 2016, but the annual uranium mining plan was over-fulfilled. The actual uranium production of Semizbay-U mine is 421 tons and that of Irkol mine is 707 tons.
Irkol uranium ore office building
Irkol uranium ore product solution processing workshop
Irkol well site
The production of the two mines in the past three years is as follows:
As of December 31, 2017, the resources of Semizbay-U are as follows:
Uranium ore reserves of Semizbay-U
|
编号. |
Uranium Mine |
Grade |
Reserves (uranium/t) |
|
1 |
Semizbay-U mine |
0.056 |
12,996 |
|
2 |
Irkol mine |
0.043 |
22,448 |
Note: According to the geological classification system (CIS) standard of Kazakhstan, when Semizbay-U was established in 2008, the reserves of Semizbay-U mine were 17108 tons of uranium, and the reserves of Irkol mine were 29541 tons of uranium (relevant data are from the report about qualified persons made by Blackstone in 2014). The current reserves are calculated on the basis of the reserves at that time minus the cumulative amount of uranium mined.