The breakthrough, by crews from Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Union, was targeted to be completed by 10 August.
Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Union (PIMCU), which is part of Rosatom's mining division Rosatom Nedra, said: "The breakthrough will significantly optimise ventilation at the fourth level and the process of loading rock mass at the Shirondukuyskoye deposit for further development work."
Ivan Kiselev, CEO of the company, said: "The connection is of vital importance for the company. It not only connects two sections of the mine but also fundamentally changes the logistics and safety of operations at the fourth level. We are creating a reliable foundation for the smooth development of the Shirondukuyskoye field, which directly impacts our primary objective of ensuring the country's energy security."
The Shirondukuyskoye molybdenum-uranium deposit is part of the Streltsovsky uranium ore district, 8 kilometres from the city of Krasnokamensk in Zabaykalsky Krai. The licence to operate the deposit was acquired in February 2025. According to Rosatom Nedra, the deposit has accounted uranium reserves in the C1/C2 category of 8,000 tonnes, as well as molybdenum reserves. (C1 and C2 are categories under the classification system used for uranium reserves and resources in Russia; they fall mostly within the "reasonably assured", "measured and indicated" or "demonstrated" definitions used elsewhere.)
Nedra sees development of the Shirondukuyskoye deposit as a key milestone for Russia's uranium mining industry: "Its mineral resource base will not only support planned uranium production volumes but also ensure the long-term development of Krasnokamensk, Russia's uranium capital."
Background
Earlier this year, in a report of the annual meeting of Rosatom Nedra with stakeholders, Rosatom said that the licence obtained for the development of the Shirondukuyskoye deposit, in eastern Siberia, was part of its plans to expand its mineral resource base.
The report, in February, quoted Viktor Svyatetsky, First Deputy Director General and Executive Director of Rosatom Nedra, as saying: "Our key objective is to expand our uranium mineral resource base to meet the needs of the Russian nuclear energy industry … in 2026, we will complete the bulk of capital mining work at the Shirondukuyskoye deposit, with the aim of further extracting about 400 tonnes of uranium from it, beginning in 2028. There are plans to bring the Elkon project out of hibernation. This uranium deposit currently holds the largest reserves in Russia."
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