Gold Extraction Resumes in Sotk, Now Through Closed Methods: Details

Gold extraction has resumed at the Sotk gold mine, now operating through closed methods. This was announced to reporters by Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Hovhannes Harutyunyan during the Mining Armenia conference held in Tsaghkadzor by the Union of Armenian Mining and Metallurgical Enterprises. Sputnik Armenia reports on this.

The deputy minister added that it is highly likely the mine will reach its designed capacity of 400,000 tons annually by the second half of 2025, while currently it is working at an equivalent capacity of 100,000 to 150,000 tons per year and is continuing to adjust its infrastructure.

Until May 2023, the mine was being operated through open methods, but extraction was halted due to continuous shelling from the Azerbaijani side. The deputy minister stated that the main reason for the halt was the depletion of resources near the surface of the country; the remaining resources are situated in such a way that it is more profitable to exploit the deeper layers of the mine.

“Thus, the reasons are purely economic,” declared the deputy minister.

When asked whether an assessment of the economic losses for the mine had been conducted since 2020 (when part of it came under Azerbaijani control), Harutyunyan responded that such assessments could only be made when the state border is drawn, clarifying what remains on the Armenian side and what is on the Azerbaijani side.

Regarding job opportunities, the deputy minister noted that currently about 200 people work at the mine, and once it reaches its designed capacity, the number will rise to 500.

“Previously, the workforce had been reduced, as far as I recall, by 300-400 people, but 300 workers will be reemployed,” he added.