Mining Intelligence and News
Azerbaijan

Gedabek Operation

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit & Underground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Copper
  • Silver
  • Zinc
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe principal mining operation at Gedabek Operation is the Gedabek open pit (which comprises several contiguous smaller open pits). Ore is also mined from the Gadir and Gedabek underground mines.

Anglo Asian Mining plans to shift its primary output to copper, becoming the major revenue source by 2027.

The company will start production at two new mines, Gilar and Xarxar, between 2024 and 2027. Production has also been assumed to start at Zafar from 2026. However, the start-up of Zafar may not be necessary, depending upon the final mine life of the Gedabek open pit.

Micon International was commissioned in July 2023 by Anglo Asian Mining and the Government of Azerbaijan to conduct a health, safety, and environmental review of tailings management at Gedabek. This review was initiated due to local protests against the construction of a second tailings dam.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Anglo Asian Mining plc 100 % Indirect
Azerbaijan International Mining Company Limited(AIMC) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anglo Asian Mining PLC. Full management control of mining and exploration activities rests with AIMC.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork
  • Porphyry
  • Hydrothermal
  • Volcanic hosted

Summary:

All the deposits are located within the Gedabek CA and are part of the Gedabek ore district.

The Gedabek ore district is extensive and includes numerous mineral occurrences and prospects (as well as operating mines).

The region lies within the Shamkir uplift of the Lok-Karabakh volcanic arc, in the Lesser Caucasus Mega-Anticlinorium.

This province has been deformed by several major magmatic and tectonic events, resulting in compartmentalised stratigraphic blocks.

The ore finds in the Gedabek CA lie within the central part of the world-class Tethyan metallogenic ore belt and are hosted predominantly in Bajocian-aged, hydrothermally altered volcanic units.

Gadir is interpreted as a low-sulphidation (“LS”) epithermal orebody, which is located approximately 400 metres northwest of the current Gedabek OP limits. Gedabek mineralisation is considered to be related to a high-sulphidation (HS) system. There is a significant fault structure separating these two areas. Although the deposit geology and likely genesis varies.

The Gadir mineral deposit is located at the contact between volcanic rocks and the quartz porphyry (rhyolite-rhyodacite subvolcanic formation) in a similar lithological position to the Gedabek mineralisation. There are disseminated breccias and mineralised hydrothermal structures (predominantly vein and stockwork systems) in the quartz porphyry.

Zafar deposit
Zafar is a new discovery located 1.5 kilometres north-west of the existing Gedabek processing plant. The geology of the area is structurally complex, comprising mainly of Upper Bajocian-aged volcanics. The mineralisation seems to be associated with a main northwest to south-east trending structure, which is interpreted as post-dating smaller north-east to south-west structures. In the south-west area, outcrops with tourmaline have been mapped, which can be indicative of the potential for porphyry-style mineral formation. The exploration area is located along the regional Gedabek-Shekarbek fault system, with Shekarbek being another target area known to host copper mineralisation, situated in the north-west of the zone.

Xarxar deposit
The 464 square kilometre Contract Area is located immediately north of the Gedabek Contract Area, which it borders.

Located adjacent to Gedabek and Garadag and hosts the Xarxar deposit. It is likely part of the same mineral system.

The Xarxar Contract Area hosts the Xarxar copper deposit. The mineralisation of the deposit is copper-dominant and comprises mainly oxides and secondary sulphides, with minerals such as malachite, azurite, pyrite, chalcocite and bornite, together with some primary chalcopyrite, as common minerals in the deposit, and minor barite and magnetite minerals are also recorded. The main copper mineralisation lenses are located in the central part of the Xarxar deposit, with approximate eastwest orientations.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

In 2023, Gold doré was produced by agitation and heap leaching and copper concentrate by flotation and SART processing until the end of July 2023. Agitation leaching, flotation processing and mining were suspended from August 2023 whilst the Micon Review was carried out. However, production of gold doré and copper concentrate continued until the end of December by heap leaching and SART processing, although no new fresh ore was placed on the heaps. Production during 2023 therefore decreased significantly compared to 2022 due to declining ore grades from the Gedabek open pit and the partial suspension of mining and processing from August to December 2023.
CommodityProductUnits2023202220212020201920182017
Gold Metal in concentrate oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe5,9477,1827,083
Gold Metal in doré oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe64,15165,61652,534
Gold Equivalent Metal in conc./ doré oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe81,39983,73671,461
Copper Metal in concentrate M lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4.93.64.4
Copper Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe128.89.3
Silver Metal in doré oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe19,70726,18622,728
Silver Metal in concentrate oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe139,649183,998150,125

Operational metrics

Metrics2023202220212020201920182017
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2,913,266 t1,744,310 t1,060,160 t
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2,724,880 t2,314,881 t1,804,360 t

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2023202220212020201920182017
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 591 / oz **   541 / oz **   604 / oz **  
** Net of By-Product.

Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 92.1   90.4   71.8  
Pre-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 30.1   25.2   5.7  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

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EmployeesYear
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Aerial view:

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