Udokan Copper helps restore Siberian sturgeon population as part of its ESG program

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Media OutReach – 2 June 2023 – Udokan Copper, one of the largest industrial companies operating in Russia’s Far East, is funding a program to restore the population of Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii), a rare fish included in the IUCN Red List of endangered species, as part of its comprehensive ESG program.

At the end of May, the first batch of about 14,000 Siberian sturgeon fry was released into the Chara River in the Kalar district of the Trans-Baikal region, where Udokan Copper is based. Udokan Copper organized a special flight using the regional aircraft AN-2 to deliver the fry from Chita in special containers.

The company plans to release a total of 300,000 fry into the Chara, which is part of the Lena River basin, over the next seven years to restore the population of Siberian sturgeon which was depleted during Soviet times, said Ivan Makarov, Head of the Environmental Safety Service at Udokan Copper.

Supplying metal for the green energy transition, Udokan Copper takes a responsible approach to its own environmental footprint. The company uses hydrometallurgy instead of the environmentally harmful pyrolysis process. Udokan Copper also plans to reduce the carbon intensity of its production by 75% by 2030. In 2023, the National Rating Agency of Russia included Udokan in its ESG list for manufacturing companies, recognizing the Company’s efforts to develop its business based on sustainable development goals.

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About Udokan Copper

Established in 2008 to develop the Udokan Copper Deposit, Udokan Copper is part of the diversified USM Group. Udokan is Russia’s largest undeveloped copper deposit with over 26 million tonnes of copper resources and a JORC copper grade of 1.05%.

The deposit sits in the Kalarsky District of the Trans-Baikal Territory, 30 km from the Novaya Chara station of the Baikal-Amur Mainline. Under the project, a mining and smelting plant is to be commissioned that will produce cathode copper and sulphide concentrate. The production volume will be 135 thousand tonnes of copper per year.