Project

The Uch-Kulach barite-lead-zinc deposit is located in the Farish district of the Jizzakh region of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The area of the deposit is a gently sloping foothill to the north with elevations of 290-310 meters above sea level, from the south the plain is bounded by the Northern Nuratau ridge, from the west by semi-desert, turning into the Kyzylkum desert, from the east by a hungry steppe. The climate of the region is of the semi-desert & desert type with short winters, many sunny days, aridity and an average annual temperature of 15.3 ℃. Precipitation occurs during the cold season and its average amount is 25.7-32.1 mm. Precipitation is accompanied by strong westerly and southwestern winds. The power supply of the region is provided by a high-voltage 35'000 kW power transmission line, from which the Uch-Kulach mine is powered. Water supply issues are resolved by using the Uzunkuduk and Pistali water intakes, the reserves of which are explored for these purposes. Logistics is provided by the existing own railway line with a length of 20 km. The distance from the quarry to the processing plant and waste dumps is 1.5 km.

The Uch-Kulach deposit is located in the foothills of the North Nurata ridge, in the Khanbandytau ridge. The categorical reserves put on the state register are concentrated in three areas of the field: Central, Yuzhny, Dalny. The ore bodies have a sheet-like, ribbon-like shape, lenticular in cross-section with a thickness of up to 100 meters, more than 80% of the ore is concentrated in ore bodies with an average thickness of 50 meters. The primary ores of the Uch-Kulach deposit are characterized by an uneven dissemination of a banded structure and in the form of lenses and veinlets of various sizes. The main ore minerals are galena, sphalerite, and pyrite. Minor ore minerals are chalcopyrite, marcasite, coveline, bornite, chalcocite. Nonmetallic minerals - barite, calcite, dolomite, rarely quartz, fluorite. Ores are characterized by a variable composition. Typical variability of pyrite, galena, sphalerite formations for barite, galena, sphalerite with a barite content of up to 11.5–14.5% Pyrite-bearing ores are developed as separate fields along the northern Uchkulach fault zone with lenses of varying thickness up to 1 meter of pyrite ores.

Explored ore reserves for open pit mining in the open pit are 36.0 million tons. Based on the projected annual ore processing, the project will have a 15-year life cycle.