Enterprises with deep mineral processing are going to emerge in the Arctic

Special licensing programs designed by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources aimed at mineral extraction development and processing industries in the Arctic, have been in effect since 2023. These programs are valid until 2035. To date, auctions have been held for 64 sites, with plans to issue licenses for a total of 176 sites.

“In 2025, auctions will be held for 30 mineral deposits. The largest include the "Amerika" deposit, with titanium reserves of 3.5 million tons, and the "Gremyakha-Vyrmes" deposit, containing 122.3 million tons of titanium and 62.44 thousand tons of phosphorus, both located in the Murmansk region. In Yakutia, an auction will take place for the "Odinokoe" deposit, with tin reserves of 127.5 thousand tons and tungsten reserves of 10.5 thousand tons. Preparations are underway for an auction for the "Porozhinsk" manganese ore deposit in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, holding 29.46 thousand tons of reserves,” commented Alexander Kozlov, Russia’s Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology.

Under the federal project *Geology: Revival of the Legend*, the *Pinkeljavr* deposit was discovered in the Murmansk region in 2024, with reserves of 77 million tons, plus 15 million tons of off-balance resources and 21 million tons of forecasted resources. In the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the federal project has contributed to an increase in recoverable oil and gas resources by nearly 5 billion tons of equivalent fuel.

In 2025, under the *Geology: Revival of the Legend* project, work will begin on 10 sites in Yakutia. By the end of 2027, an increase of 8.34 billion tons of equivalent fuel is expected. Additionally, federally funded geological exploration for diamonds will commence at two sites in Yakutia, while in Chukotka, exploration for chromium ores will start at two sites, along with one site each for gold and copper. By 2027, the project aims to achieve forecasted resource increases of 23 million tons of chromium ores, 900 thousand tons of copper, 30 tons of gold, and 80 million carats of diamonds.