Mining Intelligence and News
Kazakhstan

Kyzyl (Bakyrchik) Mine

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
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SnapshotKyzyl is a world-class asset.

Bakyrchik will be developed via open-pit mining for more than 15 years and substituted by underground mining that can potentially last more than 20 years.

In 2023, the Company plans to implement a series of innovative debottlenecking projects, which will allow to increase plant throughput and partially compensate for the grade decline.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Polymetal International plc 100 % Indirect
Polymetal International plc holds Kyzyl through its 100% subsidiary Bakyrchik Mining Venture LLC.

Deposit type

  • Metamorphic hosted
  • Orogenic

Summary:

The Bakyrchik deposit comprises disseminated gold-bearing sulfide ore minerals formed in a black shale formation, located in the Qalba gold province in Eastern Kazakhstan. The deposit has 280 t (since 2014 of ore estimation) of gold reserve with average 7.7 g/t in a gold containing carbonaceous-sulfide ore formation. The highest amount of gold-bearing sulfide minerals are localized in siltstones with 0.2 0.4% carbon and presence of the carbonates and the total sulfide content of the ore varies from 0.5% to 10%. The studied rock sample was taken from siltstone with high arsenic-bearing sulfide minerals and gold occurs in ultra-fine microscopic forms such as ionic and colloidal, included in arseniccontaining sulfide minerals. The gold-bearing sulfide minerals in the deposit are arsenic pyrite (1.81-4.86 wt% of As) and arsenopyrite.

The sulfide ores of gold deposits in eastern Kazakhstan contain high and low-gold arsenopyrites, formed at different stages of ore deposition. The arsenopyrite has two morphologic varieties such as acicular-prismatic (associating with invisible gold), which forms at the early productive stage of ore deposition, and late tabular arsenopyrite associated with free gold. The gold-bearing arsenic pyrite and arsenopyrite minerals of the Bakyrchik deposit occur in various paragenesis and show different morphology. Morphogenetic forms of arsenic pyrite and arsenopyrite crystals have differences in shape, size and chemical concentrations. There are three morphogenetic variations of pyrites such as sedimentary-digenetic globular (no gold-containing); cubic form (gold-containing) recrystallized from globular pyrite in circumstances of high pressure and temperature and pentagon dodecahedral pyrite (high gold-containing) which associates with arsenopyrite. Pyrite concentrates in chemogenic-terrigenous sediments of siliceous-argillaceous, calcareous and marly compositions. They are included in ore formed in lenses of 120-250 m in width and 500-700 m in length and situated in the Middle Carboniferous Bukon formation.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityProductUnits20222021202020192018
Gold Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe12556
Gold Payable metal koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe34396
Gold Metal in concentrate koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe404134

Operational metrics

Metrics202220212020201920182017
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1.8 Mt1.8 Mt
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2,000 kt1,249 kt
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe67.5 Mt60.9 Mt48.5 Mt
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2,000 kt914 kt

Production Costs

CommodityUnits20222021202020192018
Total cash costs Gold Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 399 / oz   554 / oz  
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Gold Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 514 / oz   829 / oz  

Financials

Units202220212020201920182017
Sustaining costs M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 14   54   116  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 478   94  
EBITDA M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 355   54   -13  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 8, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 8, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 11, 2023

EmployeesYear
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Aerial view:

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