The ten biggest surface mines in operation in the Former Soviet Union

The following are the ten largest surface mining projects by production in the Former Soviet Union in 2022, according to GlobalData’s mining database.

1. Aktogay Project

The Aktogay Project is a silver mining project in East Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan. The greenfield project is owned by KAZ Minerals and is due to operate until 2045. The mine produced an estimated 66.21Mt of ROM in 2022. It had an estimated production of 1.04 million ounces of silver in 2022. Buy the profile here.

2. Kajaran Mine

The Kajaran Mine is a copper mine owned by CRONIMET Mining. Located in Syunik, Armenia, the greenfield mine produced approximately 60.02Mt of ROM in 2022. It had an estimated production of 162.06 thousand tonnes of copper in 2022. Buy the profile here.

3. Bogatyr Komir Mine

Located in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, the Bogatyr Komir Mine is a coal mining project owned by Samruk-Energy.

The greenfield mine produced an estimated 55.68Mt of ROM in 2022. It had an estimated production of 42.32 million tonnes of coal in the same year. Buy the profile here.

4. Gusevogorskoye Mine

The Gusevogorskoye Mine is an iron ore mine located in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. Owned by Evraz Plc, the greenfield project produced an estimated 51.4Mt of ROM in 2022.

The mine had an estimated production of 8.61 million tonnes of iron ore in 2022. The Gusevogorskoye Mine will operate until 2042. Buy the profile here.

5. Muruntau Mine

Owned by Navoi Mining & Metallurgy Combinat, the Muruntau Mine is a gold mine situated in Navoiy Viloyati, Uzbekistan. The mine is expected to operate until 2032.

The ROM production at the mine produced was approximately 48.48Mt of ROM in 2022. It had an estimated production of 1.8 million ounces of gold in 2022. Buy the profile here.

6. Kalmakir Mine

The Kalmakir Mine is a copper mining project in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The greenfield project is owned by Almalyk Mining-Metallurgical Complex. The mine produced an estimated 33.18Mt of ROM in 2022. It had an estimated production of 221.34 thousand tonnes of copper in 2022. Buy the profile here.

7. Karelsky Okatysh Complex

The Karelsky Okatysh Complex is an iron ore mine owned by Severstal. Located in Republic of Karelia, Russia, the greenfield mine produced approximately 30.31Mt of ROM in 2022. It had an estimated production of 9.6 million tonnes of iron ore in 2022. The expected mine closure date is 2046. Buy the profile here.

8. Lebedinsky GOK Mine

Located in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, the Lebedinsky GOK Mine is an iron ore mining project owned by Metalloinvest MC.

The greenfield mine produced an estimated 29.03Mt of ROM in 2022. It had an estimated production of 19.16 million tonnes of iron ore in the same year. Buy the profile here.

9. Bozshakol Mine

The Bozshakol Mine is a silver mine located in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan. Owned by KAZ Minerals, the greenfield project produced an estimated 26.66Mt of ROM in 2022.

The mine had an estimated production of 660 thousand ounces of silver in 2022. The Bozshakol Mine will operate until 2060. Buy the profile here.

10. Stoilensky GOK Mine

Owned by Novolipetsk Steel, the Stoilensky GOK Mine is an iron ore mine situated in Belgorod Oblast, Russia. The mine is expected to operate until 2151.

The ROM production at the mine produced was approximately 25.39Mt of ROM in 2022. It had an estimated production of 16.23 million tonnes of iron ore in 2022. Buy the profile here.

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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Mining Intelligence Center tracks production, consumption, imports and exports of 17 key commodities across 60 countries, whilst its Mines & Projects Database tracks over 30,000 mines and projects with 200+ data fields for each, including production, operating costs, equipment and key mine-site contacts.