Russia's Ozernoye Plant Begins Zinc Concentrate Production Amid Challenges

Russia's Ozernoye plant, near its largest zinc mine, started producing zinc concentrate after delays due to a fire and U.S. sanctions. The 2023 fire destroyed Western equipment that was hard to replace because of sanctions over Ukraine. The plant aims to produce 600,000 tons of zinc concentrate annually by 2025.

Russia's new Ozernoye plant, located near the nation's largest zinc mine, has launched zinc concentrate production, overcoming delays caused by a fire and U.S. sanctions. The company announced the commencement on Wednesday.

The fire in 2023 complicated efforts to replace Western equipment destroyed in the blaze due to the difficulty of procuring such machinery under the sanctions imposed on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine.

Ozernoye, located about 200 km from the Mongolian border, aims to process up to 6 million tons of zinc ore, with an annual output of 600,000 tons of zinc concentrate when it reaches full capacity in 2025. This facility is projected to be a significant contributor to global zinc concentrate production growth.

(With inputs from agencies.)