Oil production in Bashkortostan projected to reach 14.5 mln tonnes in 2012
UFA. Feb 16 (Interfax) - Oil production in Bashkortostan is expected to reach 14.5 million tonnes this year, the head of Bashnedra, the republic's subsurface resource usage agency, Rasikh Khamitov said at a press conference on Thursday.
There was 14.4 million tonnes extracted last year, Khamitov said.
"The extraction of oil in the republic has stabilized, and is even showing some growth. OJSC Bashneft accounts for the bulk of production. It extracted 14.3 million tonnes in the republic's territory last year," he said.
Seven organizations extract oil and gas in Bashkortostan: Bashneft, Bashmineral LLC, Lukoil-Perm LLC, Zirgan LLC, CJSC Vinka, Mobel-Neft LLC, and CJSC Ingeoholding.
There are 202 oil and gas deposits in Bashkortostan and 163 are in development.
Khamitov said that the republic is 7th or 8th place in Russia in terms of oil production. Bashkortostan produces 12%-15% of Russia's copper and around 50% of its zinc.
Copper porphyry ore production amounted to 4.2 million tonnes last year, that of copper - 75,700 tonnes, zinc - 84,500 tonnes, gold - 6.8 tonnes, silver - over 80 tonnes, placer gold - 87 kilograms, limestone for the chemicals industry - 3.7 million tonnes, rock salt - 3 million tonnes, gypsum - 187,000 tonnes, cement clay - 509,000 tonnes, talc - 6,400 tonnes, and granite block - 20,000 tonnes.
The rate of 'hard resource' mining will maintain this year, Khamitov said. More than a hundred organizations are involved in this work in Bashkortostan, the biggest among them being OJSC Uchalinsky GOK, Bashkir Copper LLC, OJSC Sibaisky GOK (formerly Bashkir Copper-Sulphide Combine (RTS:BMSK)), CJSC Buribayevsky GOK, OJSC Bashkir Shaft-sinking Management, CJSC Bashkir Gold-mining Company, and OJSC Soda.
There were thirty underground water sources identified and confirmed last year. "In all, the republic is sufficiently supplied with underground was, but the northwest and southeast regions of the republic are experiencing a deficit," Khamitov said.
The republic has substantial mineral and raw material resource potential for enterprises to maintain development of the main strategic types of mineral resource for five to fifty years (oil - around 30 years, nonferrous metals - 40-50 years, precious metals - 5-15 years), Bashnedra calculates.
Financing for geological survey work in 2011 amounted to 1.3 billion rubles, including 135.9 million federal budget rubles and more than 1.1 billion rubles spent by holders of resource-usage licenses. Plans for this year include 200-220 million federal budget rubles and around 1.7 billion resource-user rubles, Khamitov said.
