Ovoot Coking Project

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Ovoot Coking Project (Овоотын коксжих нүүрсний төсөл) is a proposed coal mine in Khuvsgul, Mongolia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Ovoot Coking Project Khuvsgul, Mongolia 49.364115, 97.496487 (approximate)

The map below shows the approximate location of the coal mine:

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status Status Detail Project Type Opening Year Closing Year
Proposed Permitted[1] New 2023

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.
Capacity (Mtpa) Production (Mtpa) Year of Production Mine Type Mining Method Mine Size (km2) Mine Depth (m) Workforce Size
4 Underground & Surface Mixed 130 250 *

Table 4: Coal resources and destination

Total Reserves (Mt) Year of Total Reserves Recorded Total Resources (Mt) Coalfield Coal Type Coal Grade Primary Consumer/ Destination
255[1] 280[1] Bituminous Met

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner Parent Company Headquarters
Aspire Mining Aspire Mining [100%] Australia

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker April 2024 release and the September supplement.

Background

The Ovoot coking coal project is a proposed open cut coking coal project owned and operated by the small Australian firm, Aspire Mining.[2] According to project sponsor Aspire Mining, the mine has probable open-pit coal reserves of 247 million tonnes, as well as 8 mt underground, for a total of 255 Mt. In August 2012, the Company was granted a mining license over the resource area. The company also has two contiguous exploration licenses. The three licenses combined cover 130 square kilometers.[3] The feasibility study for the project was approved by the Mineral Resource Authority of Mongolia in 2013.[4]

The project is expected to have initial production of 5 million tonnes per annum, eventually reaching up to 10 million tonnes per annum of coking coal over 21 years of mine life. The start of production from Ovoot project is planned to coincide with the commissioning of the Erdenet-Ovoot railway, which is 2023. The coal will be sent to a new coal blending facility in southern Mongolia, where it will be blended with other coals before being railed to Chinese and Russian customers or to Chinese ports for export.[4]

In June 2020, a preliminary draft of the Definitive Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) was prepared and disseminated amongst relevant stakeholders. However, due to the covid-19 pandemic, approval of the DEIA has been postponed.[5]

There have been few public updates on the Ovoot project in recent years, although the project still appears to be proposed. According to Aspire Mining's 2021 Annual Report, "The Company is well funded and supported to rapidly progress the development of the world class Ovoot Coking Coal Project but has run into COVID-19 related obstacles in the permitting processes through 2020/21 which has hamstrung on the ground pre-development activities."[6]

In January 2023, the company progressed regulatory approvals.[7] As per investor presentation dated May 2024, construction was targeted to start in Q4 2024 with a 12-month path to start of production.[8] As of September 2024, Aspire Mining expected to update JORC Resources and Reserve Estimates, update project economics and to finalize financing for the mine.[9]

  • Operator: Aspire Mining
  • Owner: Aspire Mining
  • Location: Khuvsgul province, Mongolia
  • GPS Coordinates: 49.364115, 97.496487 (approximate)
  • Mine Status: Proposed
  • Annual Capacity: 4 mtpa
  • Mineable Reserves: 255 Mt
  • Coal Type: Metallurgical
  • Mine Size: 130 square kilometers
  • Mine Type: Surface (247 Mt), Underground (8 mt)
  • Start Year: 2026
  • Life of Mine: 21 years
  • Source of Funding:

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20240904165622/https://app.sharelinktechnologies.com/announcement/asx/ea7ce80307aff10b6c065e9d4f25eda1. Archived from the original on 04 September 2024. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. Australian Trade Commission, "Mongolian Mining Projects Report 2011", January 2011, page 47. (This report is not available online).
  3. Ovoot coking coal project, Aspire Mining, accessed 24 September 2020
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Ovoot Coking Coal Project," NS Energy, accessed 24 September 2020
  5. "Aspire Mining’s future production plans," Mining See, Aug. 27, 2020
  6. Annual Report 2021, Aspire Mining Limited, accessed July 2022.
  7. Aspire Mining progresses regulatory approvals for Ovoot Coking Coal Project, Pro Active Investors, January 2023
  8. "Corporate Presentation | May 2024" (PDF). api.investi.com.au. May 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. "Appointment of Russell Taylor as Executive Director" (PDF). api.investi.com.au. September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)