Published
03/17/2026, 15:03Kumtor Gold Company has begun the practical phase of implementing a strategic project to build a processing complex for stored tailings. As part of the project, a specialized semi-industrial plant with a capacity of 2.5 tons per day has been purchased.
As noted, the key objective of the equipment is to validate the technical parameters outlined in the feasibility study under conditions as close as possible to industrial-scale operations.
Having its own plant will allow the company to address several challenges at once.
First, this involves production optimization—research is planned to improve the efficiency of technological processes and increase the gold recovery rate.
Second, the plant will serve as a training base. The equipment will be used for hands-on training of operators and process engineers who will subsequently be deployed at the new complex.
The third area is expanding the raw material base. The company intends to test not only old tailings but also ores from other deposits, including potential satellite deposits, which could strengthen the project’s resource sustainability.
The final product of the plant’s operations will be a flotation concentrate. It will be sent to subsequent processing stages—roasting and hydrometallurgy—thereby fully replicating the technological chain of the future industrial complex.
Thus, the launch of the pilot-scale phase allows Kumtor to move from theoretical calculations to practical testing of technologies—a step without which scaling up the project would entail high technological risks.
