Activity Report 2004

Olympiada mine, Krasnoyarsk region

Environmental overheads in 2004 totaled 2,700,000 rubles (approx. $100,000). Air exhausts and fresh water intake in 2004 did not reach maximum allowed limits.

Surface and subsurface waters protection
Third stage of tailings dam construction has been completed; water collection and drainage systems were mounted in Vostotshny and Zapadny open pits. Condition of tailings dams and quality of surface and subsurface waters has been monitored throughout the year.

Atmosphere protection
New low pollution explosive works technology has been successfully adopted. New gas purification equipment has been installed in hydro-metallurgical shop of the ore processing plant. New low pollution limits were set for Olympiada mine. Pollution levels have been monitored throughout the year.

Soils protection
Specialized truck for shipping industrial waste to dumping sites has been purchased. Construction of a non-industrial waste waters treatment station begun. All industrial and non industrial waste was collected and stored on specially equipped sites. Territories adjoining industrial sites were planted with vegetation.

New requipment for the environmental laboratory was purchased within the framework of environmental monitoring program.

No land rehabilitation activity took place in 2004 since no industrial sites were vacated. In 2005 some 2,364,000 rubles (approx. $87,000) will be spent on land rehabilitation in the vicinity of Vostochniy open pit. Land rehabilitation on pits Titimukhta and Oleniy will take place in the following years.

Lenzoloto, Irkutsk region

Environmental overheads in 2004 totaled 52,609,400 rubles (approx. $1,95 million). Land rehabilitation expenses in 2004 comprised 1,381,770 rubles (approx. $51,000) and will reach 6,400,000 rubles (approx. $237,000)  in 2005.

The core environmental activities for Lenzoloto are hydro engineering and construction of channels, dams, sediment basins, and trenches. This facilitates multiple waste waters recycling and lowers fresh water intake. In 2004 some 3 million cubic meters of soil was utilized in hydro engineering. Air exhaust did not exceed established limits in 2004.
 
Lena Gold Mining Company, Irkutsk region

New safety charter for Zapadnoye mine was adopted. The tailings dam shall use closed water recycling system. Waste emission and storage standards for Zapadnoye will be developed during 2005.

Matrosov Mine, Magadan region

Currently the mine undergoes a huge exploration program. No estimates of follow up environmental expenses were made at this stage. In 2004 environmental expenses totaled 950,000 rubles (approx. $35,000). In 2005 these expenses will increase almost threefold to 2,820,000 rubles (approx. $10,000). Thus land rehabilitation works resulting from the closure of subsurface production on the site will be completed.

In the future environmental activity on Matrosov mine will also develop along the lines of finding more efficient pyrometallurgical sulfide ore processing technologies; substitution of sorption resins by carbon, and introduction of environmental friendly non-cyanide leaching technologies.