Mining in Russia

Oil and Gas

The main area of ​​oil and natural gas production is the West Siberian Plain .

The largest oil and gas companies in Russia:

• Gazprom
• Rosneft
• Lukoil
• TNK-BP
• Surgutneftegas
• Gazprom Neft
• Tatneft
• Slavneft
• Bashneft
• Novatek
• Kaoyl

Oil

In 2009, Russia produced 494 million tons of oil (2nd place in the world), which is 1.2% higher than the 2008 level. ^{[2] [3]} .
In 2010, Russia produced 505 million tons of oil (2.1% higher than in 2009). ^[four]

Natural gas

Russia, in addition to the United States , occupies a leading position in the world in gas production .

In 2005 , Russia produced 548 billion m³ of natural gas . 307 billion m³ was supplied to domestic consumers through 220 regional gas distribution organizations . There are 24 natural gas storage facilities in Russia. The length of gas pipelines in the country is 155 thousand km .
In 2009 , 586 billion m³ of natural gas was produced ^[5] . This year, the United States for the first time overtook Russia not only in the volume of gas produced (624 billion m³ versus 582.3 billion m³), ​​but also in the volume of commercial gas produced, that is, for sale to counterparties ^[6] ; this is due to increased shale gas production (the so-called shale revolution ).
In 2010 , Russia produced 647 billion m³ billion cubic meters of natural and associated gas (an increase of 11.4% compared to 2009) ^[7] . This year, Russia, having increased production, regained its leadership in the volume of gas produced. The United States, by contrast, reduced production to 619 billion m³ ^[8] .
In 2011 , gas production amounted to 670.5 billion m³ ^[9] .
In 2012 , 518 million tons of oil was produced (an increase of 1.5%). 218 million tons arrived for processing (an increase of 3.5%).

Export: see Pipeline transport of Russia , Liquefied natural gas # LNG production in Russia

Coal

The formation of the coal industry in Russia dates back to the first quarter of the 19th century, when the main coal basins were already open.

The largest coal mining companies (coal mining in 2004):

• SUEK - 74.5 million tons.
• Kuzbassrazrezugol - 39.3 million tons.
• Yuzhkuzbassugol - 18.1 million tons.
• Southern Kuzbass - 15.6 million tons.
• Raspadskaya
• SIBPLAZ
• Mechel
• Sybuglemet
• Evraz

Coal reserves in Russia

In Russia, 5.5% of the world's coal reserves are concentrated, which is more than 200 billion tons. This difference with the percentage of proven coal reserves for 2006 is due to the fact that most of it is not suitable for development, since it is located in Siberia in the permafrost region . 70% falls on brown coal reserves.

The largest promising deposits:

• Elga deposit in the southeast of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), 415 km east of the city of Neryungri. The area of ​​the deposit is 246 km². The field is represented by powerful (up to 17 meters) shallow formations with overlapping deposits of low power, which is very beneficial for open pit mining. Elgin coal can be enriched to the highest world standards and produce high-quality export coking coal.
• The Elegestskoye deposit ( Tuva ) has reserves of about 1 billion tons of scarce grade “C” coking coal (total reserves are estimated at 20 billion tons). 80% of the reserves are in one layer with a thickness of 6.4 m (the best mines of Kuzbass operate in layers of a thickness of 2-3 m, in Vorkuta coal is mined from the layers thinner than 1 m)

Iron ore mining areas: Kursk magnetic anomaly , deposits of the Urals , Western Siberia, etc.

Gold in Russia has been a good filling of the budget since 2001.

In Russia, the main uranium ore region is Transbaikalia. About 93% of Russian uranium is mined at a deposit in the Chita Region (near the city of Krasnokamensk ). The mining is carried out by the mine method “ Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Association ” (PIMCU), which is part of Atomredmetzoloto OJSC (Uranium Holding). The remaining 7% is obtained by underground leaching of CJSC Dalur ( Kurgan Region ) and OJSC Khiagda ( Buryatia ).

The resulting ores and uranium concentrate are processed at the Chepetsk Mechanical Plant.

According to the annual production of uranium (about 3.3 thousand tons), Russia ranks 4th after Kazakhstan. The annual consumption of uranium in Russia is 16 thousand tons and consists of the costs of own nuclear power plants in the amount of 5.2 thousand tons, as well as the export of fuel (5.5 thousand tons) and low-enriched uranium (6 thousand tons) . ^[12]

Industrial diamond deposits in Russia are associated with kimberlite and lamproite pipes confined to ancient cratons . According to De Beers , in 2004, diamond production (in value terms) in Russia amounted to $ 2 billion.

According to the Kimberley Process, as of 2017, Russia remains the largest diamond producer in the world. Diamond production in the country in 2017 increased by 15%, to $ 4.11 billion in monetary terms, and by 6% to 42.6 million carats in quantitative terms ^[13] .

Currently, the main diamond mining company in Russia is ALROSA . According to 2010 data, ALROSA is the world's largest diamond mining company. ^[14]

ALROSA Group produces 97% of all diamonds in Russia; the share of diamond production on the world market in value terms is 25%. In 2010, diamond production amounted to 34.3 million carats. In 2009, ALROSA Group diamond production in value terms amounted to $ 2,092.8 million (including subsidiaries of OJSC ALROSA-Nyurba, OJSC Almazy Anabara and OJSC Severalmaz); main products sold for $ 2152.2 million, diamonds - for $ 60.4 million. ^[15] The company's revenue under RAS for 2010 is 96.8 billion rubles. (63.8 billion rubles in 2009), net profit - 8.8 billion rubles. (2.3 billion rubles) ^[14] .

History of diamond mining in Russia

In Russia, the first diamond was found on July 4, 1829 in the Urals in the Perm province on Krestovozdvizhensky gold mine by the fourteen-year-old serf Pavel Popov, who found the crystal while washing gold in a schlichy tray. For a half-carat crystal, Paul received a free one. Pavel brought scientists, members of the expedition of the German scientist Alexander Humboldt , to the place where he found the first diamond (now this place is called Diamond Key (according to the same name) and is located about 1 km from the village of Promysl not far from the old highway connecting the villages Crafts and the Warm Mountain of the Gornozavodsky district of the Perm Territory ), and two more small crystals were found there. In 28 years of further research, only 131 diamonds totaling 60 carats were found .

The first diamond in Siberia was also reclaimed from concentrate near the city of Yeniseisk in November 1897 on the Melnichnaya River. The size of the diamond was 2/3 carats . Due to the small size of the discovered diamond and the lack of funding, diamond exploration was not conducted. The next diamond was discovered in Siberia in 1948 .

The search for diamonds in Russia was conducted for almost a century and a half, and only in the mid-1950s were the richest primary diamond deposits discovered in Yakutia .

On August 21, 1954, geologist Larisa Popugaeva discovered the first kimberlite pipe outside of South Africa ^{[16] [17]} . Her name was symbolic - "Zarnitsa" .

The next was the Mir pipe , which was also symbolic after the Great Patriotic War . The Udachnaya handset was opened. Such discoveries served as the beginning of industrial diamond mining in the USSR. At the moment, the lion's share of diamonds mined in Russia is accounted for by the Yakut mining enterprises. In addition, large diamond deposits are located on the territory of the Krasnovishersky district of the Perm Territory , and in the Arkhangelsk Region : Lomonosov in the territory of the Primorsky region and the deposit The field of them Grib in the territory of the Mezen district .

The first industrial diamonds were obtained in 1957 . AK Diamonds of Russia-Sakha was established on the basis of the enterprises of the diamond industry of the former USSR (PNO Yakutalmaz) in 1992 .

In 2001, ALROSA and the international corporation De Beers , the global diamond market monopolist, entered into a cooperation agreement until 2006, under which De Beers received a monopoly on the sale of ALROSA diamonds abroad in the amount of $ 800 million annually. Then this agreement was extended, and in December 2008 it was terminated: since 2009, ALROSA has been selling diamonds abroad independently. ^{[18] [19]}

The average accrued salary in the field of mining is 39742 rubles / month (March 2010). ^[20]

The average accrued salary in the field of mining (excluding fuel and energy) is 25,361 rubles / month (March 2010). ^[20]

In 2008, the average annual number of employees in the field of mining in Russia amounted to 1.04 million people. ^[21]

• Section on extractive industry on the website of Expert magazine
• A section on the coal industry on the website of Expert magazine
• Mineral deposits of Russia