Uralkali continues its development of the Ust-Yayvinsky block of the Verkhnekamskoye deposit

Berezniki, Russia, 23-12-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Uralkali (LSE: URKA; the Company), one of the world’s largest potash producers, continues its development of the Ust-Yayvinsky block of the Verkhnekamskoye deposit.

• Sinking operations for skip shaft No.1, designed for the production of sylvinite ore, are in progress. More than 240 metres have already been sunk and sinking operations have now progressed to the mine salt level. After operations have reached a depth of 292 metres, the Company plans to install the tubing column in the upper frozen part of the shaft. Sinking operations will then continue down to 465 metres. Completion of shaft No.1 is planned for December 2016.
• Sinking operations for shaft No.2, designed for the transfer of people and cargo, are in progress. 220 metres of the shaft has already been sunk. Completion of construction of the shaft with a project depth of 423 metres is planned for 2017.
• A complex of buildings and structures for sinking operations has been constructed at the industrial site of the Ust-Yayvinsky mine: a refrigeration plant, air compression plant, concrete-mixing plant, administration and amenity building, electric substation, hoist-engine houses, tubing warehouse, as well as storage sites for materials and equipment.
• The ground level is being raised; this will be the foundation for a 6.3 km conveyor belt to transport potash ore to the Berezniki-3 plant.

About the project
The project to develop the Ust-Yayvinsky block of the Verkhnekamskoye deposit includes the construction of a new mine with two mine shafts with an annual capacity of 2.8 million tonnes of potassium chloride. In December 2011, Uralkali signed a contract with Deilmann-Haniel Schachtostroj for the construction of the shafts at the Ust-Yayvinsky mine. The contract includes the development of working documentation, construction of temporary structures for the surface tunneling system, shaft sinking and the development of infrastructure for utilities. The sinking of shaft No.1 started in 2013. The mine will produce the first ore in 2020 and will enable Uralkali to replace the depleting ore reserves of the Berezniki-2 mine.

Uralkali (www.uralkali.com) is one of the world’s largest potash producers and exporters. The Company’s assets consist of 5 mines and 7 ore-treatment mills situated in the towns of Berezniki and Solikamsk (Perm Region, Russia). Uralkali employs ca.11,300 people (in the main production unit). Uralkali’s shares and GDRs are traded on the Moscow Exchange and London Stock Exchange, respectively.

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Uralkali continues its development of the Ust-Yayvinsky block of the Verkhnekamskoye deposit