Golden Days in Muzhiyevo

An enrichment factory has very recently been set up at the mine to process domestically extracted gold. And the first 5.721 kilogram nugget of the Ukrainian gold has already become a historical exhibit. This unique enterprise, on a par with the Russia's Norilsk-based Norilsknikel Combine, was built in a record four months' time. Over $4 million were invested in the project. The oblast and district administrations became shareholders of the state-run Ukrainian Polymetals Company. Experts think the invested money will only pay off in two years. Before reaching its installed capacity of 240,000 tons of ore a year, the factory, so far processing the ore of the Muzhiyevo deposit of gold and other metals, will produce 800-1000 kilograms of gold a year. The nuggets have a silver content of not more than 20%. In the future, the factory will be also able to process both the primarily-refined ores of the Muzhiyevo deposit and the ore from deposits nearest to Muzhiyevo, like, for example, the rock of the Rakhiv- based Sauliak gold field.

The factory was built in cooperation with America's INTER- TECH Engineering Corporation. The ore grinding unit was developed in Ukraine, while ore enrichment equipment and technologies came from the USA. The manufacturing process completely excludes the use of chemical reagents, water being the only component utilized to leach the gold. This renders ecological fears groundless: trout will still inhabit the Borzhava River.