A platinum and palladium mining facility will be operational in the Arctic by the end of 2026.
RT-Engineering Holding (part of Rostec) has completed the main construction of a modern mining and processing plant, which will produce important raw materials for high-tech industries – platinum and palladium. According to the press service of Rostec, this is one of the largest industrial facilities built from scratch in the permafrost zone – at the Chernogorskoye field. The first ore has already been sent through the production line, but the plant will be put into commercial operation at the end of 2026.
The Chernogorsky Mining and Processing Plant (GOK) is located in the Norilsk Industrial District. It will become the country's second palladium and platinum production center. Currently, the main construction works have been completed at the enterprise, electrical engineering and commissioning work is underway. As part of the test run, the processing line of the first stage, ore preparation, was tested under load with ore, and the grinding department of the main building of the processing plant was tested.
Chernogorsky GOK
Rostec
The first processing line includes a large crushing building (a structure for primary reduction of the size of the extracted rock), a conveyor gallery (a covered continuous transportation system) and an ore warehouse. During the tests, the equipment processed over 300 tons of overburden that does not contain the target metals. The commissioning works are currently underway – the stage of testing and testing all engineering systems before reaching the design capacity.
"The implementation of this project by RT-Engineering demonstrates the high level of domestic competencies in engineering, industrial construction and the integrated implementation of complex large-scale projects. The construction was completed in a short time, and due to the sanctions, the factory had to be redesigned and the equipment completely replaced," said Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov.
According to him, the construction region is one of the most difficult: the Arctic has a harsh climate, logistical constraints, and permafrost. All materials and equipment were delivered mainly via the Northern Sea Route all year round, which is more than 200 thousand tons of cargo.
"The commissioning works are underway now. We have carried out the technical launch of the first part of the enrichment complex. Complex tests and commissioning of the entire enterprise are ahead. The design capacity is up to 9 million tons of processed ore per year and the extraction of 250 thousand tons of copper–nickel concentrates containing platinum group metals. In the future, with the development of the Norilsk-1 field, the capacity will reach 14 million tons per year, which will produce up to 55 tons of platinoids annually and provide a resource base for more than 50 years," added the head of Rostec.
A combined gravity-flotation technology for metal extraction has been introduced into the project. Useful fractions are separated from the rock using air bubbles and reagents due to the difference in particle density.
The complex also includes a dry tailings storage system. It replaces traditional liquid settling tanks – processing waste is dewatered by press filters to the state of cake (dry filtrate). This minimizes risks to the Arctic ecosystem and increases storage security.
The project has been included in the Development Strategy of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation until 2035. It provides import substitution, the development of the Northern Sea Route and the creation of about 1,600 new jobs.
