In Kazakhstan’s Ulytau Region, a new precious metal deposit will be developed as part of the Symtas Project. The mining company Komkon LLP has submitted a mining plan for the project on Kazakhstan’s Unified Environmental Portal. Komkon has been conducting geological exploration in the Baikonyr area of Ulytau since 1998, with the deposit’s reserves officially placed on record in 2020.
The Symtas deposit holds reserves of 98.6 thousand tons of ore and 524.75 kg of gold, with an average content of 5.32 g/t (C1 category). Two areas, Mizernoye and Zapadnoye, have been identified as promising for further development. The project will feature two open pits, with Mizernoye extracting two ore bodies and Zapadnoye working with three. The project will also include a shared waste dump, an ore stockpile, a transport department, and supporting infrastructure, such as a field camp and repair services.
Komkon plans to extract gold over the next three years, with the project expected to break even in 2.3 years. The company has already signed a contract with Kazakhmys Smelting LLP for the supply of gold-bearing flux, which will be processed at the Zhezkazgan copper smelter. In 2017, a semi-industrial trial of Symtas ore demonstrated the feasibility of its use as flux, achieving a 92.07% recovery rate.
