Vanadium Ore Mining and Processing Enterprise JSC of Kachkanar (part of Evraz Group) has considered and introduced a program aimed at enhancing the safety of and upgrading the drilling-and-blasting operations in 2006-2010.

According to the company’s spokesperson, the Program provides for the preliminary testing of an electronic blasting system called Ore, for testing and installation of the emulsification unit, and for design and introduction of the modern mix-pump trucks. It also sees to improving the drilling-and-blasting characteristics and replacing the drilling equipment with the better versions.

‘The shop for production of explosives and blasting has been operating since 2000 and, so far, it has been fully covering the company’s needs. On average, Vanadium JSC charges 4,000 boreholes a month using Primadet, a non-electrical system with high detonator precision that is easy to use,’ says the company’s spokesperson.