The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus initiates the expansion of the list of objects for concession

April 24, Minsk /Olga Belyavskaya - BELTA/. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus is initiating the expansion of the list of objects for concession, the ministry informed a BELTA correspondent. To attract foreign investment in the republic's economy and based on the results of an inventory of unused mineral deposits, the Ministry of Natural Resources has prepared a draft decree "On Amendments to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of January 28, 2008 No. 44", which provides for the inclusion of additional promising mineral deposits for investment in the list of objects offered for concession. The prepared document has been sent for consideration to the Council of Ministers of Belarus. Currently, the list of objects for concession includes the "Brinevskoye" gypsum deposit (Petrykov District, Gomel Region), the "Okolovskoye" (Stolbtsy District, Minsk Region) and "Novoselkovskoye" (Korelichi District, Grodno Region) iron ore deposits, as well as the "Ostrozhanovskoye" bentonite clay deposit (Lelchitsy District, Gomel Region). "The draft decree provides for the inclusion of the "Dobrushskoye" chalk deposit (Dobrush District, Gomel Region), as well as the "Kuropoly" and "Golbitsa" clay deposits (Postavy District, Vitebsk Region) in this list," the specialists clarified. A significant number of mineral raw material deposits for the production of a wide range of building materials have been identified in Belarus. At the same time, Belarusian enterprises are provided with some types of raw materials (chalk, ceramic fusible clays, construction sands, sand and gravel mixture) for the long term (50-70 years). "The transfer of the "Kuropoly" and "Golbitsa" ceramic clay deposits, as well as the "Dobrushskoye" chalk deposit to concession will not have a negative impact on the provision of these raw materials for the republic as a whole or for individual regions," the Ministry of Natural Resources emphasized. For example, the resources and reserves of ceramic clays in the Vitebsk Region amount to about 15 billion cubic meters and are practically inexhaustible. These clays are the highest quality raw material for cement production from Belarusian clay rocks. Their reserves and resources in the Vitebsk Region are sufficient for both expanding cement production and brick production. "Of all the known deposits in this region, the "Golbitsa" and "Kuropoly" deposits are proposed for concession as the most prepared for industrial development and located close to each other, which makes their development most attractive to an investor," the ministry noted. The types of concession agreements and specific conditions for each of the deposits will be determined in the concession proposals. -0-