U.K.-registered Petropavlovsk Plc, which operates in Russia, has suspended mining of the Andreyevskoye gold field in the Amur region due to an early severe frost, the company said in a statement.
“Earlier flooding and now abnormally low temperatures, which fell from zero to 40 degrees Celsius led to extensive frosts”, the statement said. “A subsequent pressure increase at the Andreyevskoye field and widening of the frozen subsoil waters within the more porous surface caused breaks on the face of the mine posing risks to the stability of the rock extraction. In particular, mining and explosive works on Andreyevskaya Vostochnaya are impossible to conduct as planned”.
The company said that the weather affected the Albyn, Malomyr and Pokrovsky mines to a lesser degree.
Petropavlovsk will assess the influence of the work suspension by early December. (Prime/Ukrainian metal)