CPR, Technical Study, and Corporate Support
Located in the northwest of Kazakhstan is a world class podiform chromite deposit. Donskoy GOK, a branch of Kazchrome TNC, which is a subsidiary of the Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) operates two underground mines in this area.
SRK has worked with ERG since 2007; principally with providing annual Competent Person’s reports that evaluate Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves, and technical studies. Since 2017, SRK has assisted with ERG business improvement projects as part of the client team in several areas, with the main aim to increase production levels by implementing new methods and technologies. The “10th Anniversary of Kazakhstan Independence” (DNK) mine is one of the Donskoy GOK operations. The mine currently uses a gravity caving mining method and produces 2.4 Mtpa utilizing slusher winches, rail transport, and shaft hoisting. The largest mineral resources at the DNK Mine, which are planned for extraction in the next few years, are below the current cave and at depth where the generally poor ground conditions and high in situ stress state will present extremely challenging mining conditions.
Over 2014/15, a technical study was undertaken by SRK, based on a new 3D geological and geotechnical model, proposed using an inclined caving method for the largest orebodies. This mining method is presently implemented at the Ekati diamond mine and is considered very suitable for the sub-level caving style layout to manage the weak rock mass characteristics and the plunging morphology of the mineralization. The haulage tunnels are located mostly outside the zone of influence of caving providing independent entrances to each drawpoint, which leads to greater geotechnical stability and reduced development rehabilitation requirements. The study determined potential to increase maximum production rates from 6.0 Mtpa to 7.2 Mtpa and to reduce the time required to reach steady state production.
