The Northern Mining and Processing Plant (Pivnichnyi GZK, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region), part of the Metinvest Group, is actively working on the construction of a modern hydraulic engineering facility for the thickening of enrichment waste at its technical water and sludge management workshop.
According to the company, the complex will enable the plant to reduce costs and lower its environmental impact by cutting energy and water consumption.
It is specified that Metinvest received a loan of EUR 23.6 million to purchase Finnish professional equipment from Metso Finland for the complex. The loan is provided by the Finnish export credit agency Finnvera. Deutsche Bank is the sole organizer and lender, with legal support from the international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright.
The press release explains that the concept of expanding the existing tailings storage facility at the Northern GOK from +165 m to +189 m using tailings thickening technology was approved back in 2015. After developing the project documentation in March 2021, Metinvest announced the launch of one of its largest high-tech projects, which will be managed by Metinvest Sichstal specialists.
Three years later, the facility was scheduled to be commissioned, but the outbreak of full-scale war forced construction to be put on hold.
Metinvest Sichstal Project Manager Vladimir Sidorov noted that a certain amount of work had been completed before the forced shutdown.
“The design was completed, basic and detailed engineering was developed, and calculations were made. We decided on the construction site, set up headquarters there, purchased some of the equipment, and began preparatory work. Directly at the site of the future complex, we had to remove the top layer of soil, which was unsuitable for construction, and replace it with another layer that was suitable in terms of characteristics. It was during this preparatory period that active hostilities began,” Sidorov explained in the statement.
However, a year ago, in July 2024, the company decided to resume construction work, continuing with the earthworks to lay and level the imported soil, and then moving on to the construction phase of the concentration complex facilities. Currently, despite the risks of wartime, builders are working on the pile foundation and grillage, which will ensure the stability and reliability of the hydraulic engineering structure.
“The biggest challenge we are currently facing is the lack of qualified specialists, both engineers and technical workers. This problem is relevant both for Metinvest and for the contractors we work with. After all, a significant number of professionals are currently working not on peaceful construction projects, but on the front lines,” said the project manager.
In addition, the company faces the risk of shelling on a daily basis. To ensure people’s safety, one shelter was installed on the site during the preparatory work, and two more were added when construction began. The company decided to protect itself from power supply problems caused by possible attacks on energy facilities by using generators.
By the end of this year, specialists plan to complete the pile driving and concreting of the foundations for the main facilities of the complex. In the near future, they will also begin installing metal structures for the reverse water supply pumping station, thickener No. 4, and the combined slurry pumping station. The commissioning of the slurry thickening complex will take place in three stages. The completion of work on the facility is currently scheduled for the end of 2027.
“Advanced technology for thickening enrichment waste using safe reagents to separate water from solid particles will allow the enterprise to reduce transportation costs and not increase the area for tailings disposal. This will give us a real opportunity to reduce the cost of concentrate and pellets, increase profitability, and strengthen our position in the raw materials market,” said Dmitry Nepomnyashchy, Director of Capital Construction and Investments at GOK, commenting on the resumption of construction of the pulp thickening complex as opening up new prospects for the Northern GOK.
As reported, Metinvest presented a $189 million waste thickening project at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) 2025 in Rome. The new complex will reduce the volume of sludge transferred to the tailings pond during iron ore enrichment by 30%. The energy savings will amount to 125 MWh per year.
The project will be launched in three years.
Pivdenny GOK is part of the Metinvest Group, whose main shareholders are System Capital Management (SCM, Donetsk) (71.24%) and the Smart Holding group of companies (23.76%). The managing company of the Metinvest Group is Metinvest Holding LLC.
