Uzbekistan to construct ore mining and processing enterprise at Sautbai tungsten field

He said that the project participants are planning to sign constitution documents on creation of the joint venture. He said that construction of processing enterprise will be carried out along with mining works at Sautbai.

The designed capacity of the complex will make up 1,500 tonnes of highly enriched tungsten concentrate a year, RIA Novosti reported.

The resource base of the joint venture also includes Saginkan and Burgut fields along with Sautbai. The assessment work on two fields will be completed by the end of 2013.

The project with the cost of US$145 million will be financed due to loans of international financial institutions and investments of founders of the joint venture.

In August 2011, Shindong Resources Co. Ltd and State Committee on geology and mineral resources of Uzbekistan signed an agreement on creation of Uzbekistan-Korea Tungsten on development of tungsten field. But, the constituent documents were not inked so far.

According to the Uzbek committee, commercial reserves of Sautbai on C1 category makes up 4 million tonnes of ore, containing trioxide of tungsten at the volume of 19,900 tonnes.