TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 1. NMMC, the world’s fourth-largest gold producer, has inaugurated a historic 1,000-meter-deep vertical skip shaft at the Zarmitan gold deposit, the first of its kind in Uzbekistan, the NMMC told Trend.
This development is a piece of the puzzle in NMMC’s grand investment scheme, which encompasses a slew of strategic projects designed to broaden and modernize the company’s gold ore production capabilities.
The new shaft significantly increases ore hoisting capacity, reduces operating costs, and has already resulted in the creation of 90 new jobs. Once fully operational, the shaft will deliver approximately 1.4 million tonnes of ore annually to Processing Plant No. 4. The estimated annual economic impact of the project is 19.2 billion soms (approximately $1.5 million).
“The skip shaft is a vertical mine shaft specifically designed for hoisting ore from underground workings to the surface. Its main function is to enable fast, efficient, and safe transport of mined material. At Zarmitan, ore from various underground levels is now gathered at the +240 m level, from which it is centrally hoisted to the surface,” said Atabek Ravshanov, NMMC Chief Engineer.
This project includes two shafts: the skip shaft and the cage shaft. The skip shaft is equipped with two 20-ton ore bins, designed exclusively for hoisting ore to the surface. The cage shaft facilitates personnel transport and equipment delivery across multiple underground levels.
The project was delivered through the collaboration of foreign
partners, NMMC, the Southern Mining Administration, and
construction teams from the Zarafshan Construction Department and
Promelektromontazh Trust, with technical support from specialists
from Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
NMMC, founded in 1958, is a key player in Uzbekistan’s mining and
metallurgy sectors, specializing in the extraction of gold,
uranium, and other valuable minerals.
