The MBC Corporation, which is a part of the METROPOL Group intends to build a plant for hydrometallurgical processing of beryllium ore at the Yermakovskoye deposit, located in the Kizhiginsky municipal district in the Republic of Buryatia, FederalPress reports citing a press-release of the corporation.

The project is reportedly to be carried out jointly with state-owned nanotechnological company RUSNANO.

“The board of directors of Rusnano has reportedly approved participation in the project on creating a vertically integrated complex aimed at production of high-technology materials of beryllium. The design of documentation is scheduled to be completed next year, and construction of the complex is to start in 2013. The plant is expected to reach its projected annual capacity in 2017,” the corporation said.

The Yermakovskoye deposit is the only profitable deposit of beryllium ore in Russia and is one of the best beryllium deposits in the world. According to the information of the State Commission on Mineral Resources Reserves, the deposit’s reserves in early 1990-ies were estimated at 1.4 million tons of fluorite-beryllium ore under the C1+C2 categories.

The MBC Corporation is a managing company. It maintains control over the association of mining companies within industrial business structure of the METROPOL Group – one of the largest investment industrial groups of Russia. The MBC Corporation specializes in greenfield projects, implementing mining projects “from scratch”.

The MBC Corporation capital assets are located in the Republic of Buryatiya. The company holds mineral rights for Ozernoye (zinc, lead), Nazarovskoye (gold, zinc), Yermakovskoye (beryllium, fluorite), Talinskoe (brown coal), Bakchar iron ore occurrence and Kholodninskoye (zinc, lead) deposits. The Company assets accumulate 47 % of zinc, 24 % of lead and 80 % of beryllium of Russia’s total reserves containing more than 18 mln tons of zinc, over 3 mln tons of lead and about 5.7 thousand tons of beryllium.