Rio Tinto out of the project

The cost of copper continues to decline, thus increasing the cost of metal smelting, which negatively affects the incomes of producers. Perhaps for this reason, the mining group Rio Tinto decided to complete its operation in one of the world’s largest development projects of the Alaskan Pebble copper. As to the management of the company, the Alaskan Pebble project is not consistent with the strategy pursued by Rio Tinto. I must say that Rio Tinto is not the pioneer to withdraw from the project, and ranks second for seven months of the project left a large diversified mining company Anglo American PLC, which has written off the expenditure of 300 million USD.

Possible reason lies in the fact that the project began to show increased attention to the environmental Agencies and groups, protecting the environment, US and motivating a growing interest to increase the potential risk for salmon. However, previously Anglo American and Northern Dynasty claimed that the project implementation is possible without detriment to the fishing industry in Alaska.

Meanwhile, JSC «sredneuralskiy copper smelter» speed does not decrease — on the contrary, the management of the plant start of construction work on the construction of an oxygen plant, the performance of which would be 12,000 m3/hour. According to preliminary calculations, the implementation of the project will roughly cost the company 1 billion RUB At the moment is the first stage of the project — preparing the site for construction and subsequent installation of air separation. Layout of site for construction work is almost completed, on the order of holding tenders for selection of contractors for construction works.

Now the company employs two installations for the separation of air with a capacity of 36.5 thousand m3 of oxygen per hour, produced the amount in the smelting process is used. Construction of the station will provide an opportunity to reduce production in the event of an emergency or planned maintenance. The launch of the new oxygen plant is scheduled for the first half of next year. In addition to the main tasks assigned to oxygen-compressor plant, and which consists in ensuring the production of compressed air and process the oxygen, this unit produces liquid oxygen and nitrogen for medical and technical oxygen.