The government must budget for the “Geology – Revival of a Legend” program for the next three years. This instruction was voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum.
He emphasized that it is necessary to solve the problems of strategic development of the Far East, including further development of such a strong basic industry of the region as subsoil use.
“Today, all of Russia’s tungsten, tin, fluorspar and ore, 80% of diamonds and uranium, more than 70% of silver, and 60% of the country’s gold are mined in the Far East. At the same time, in key mining centers, including Yakutia and Chukotka, reserves have been developed for a long time and are objectively limited. And the demand for minerals is growing. And not only for export, but also on our domestic market. We must ensure the country’s resource sovereignty, form a stable base for the uninterrupted supply of the national economy of our regions, cities and towns with affordable raw materials and fuel, create a basis for the production of new materials and energy sources. Moreover, as I have already said, this must be done using more effective domestic technologies and scientific developments in the field of ecology and nature management,” Putin said. “At the forum last year, the government was instructed to draw up separate programs for studying the subsoil in the Far East and Siberia, and to include them in the federal project “Geology – Revival of a Legend”. These programs are ready. According to estimates, every ruble of government funds invested in geological exploration will attract at least 10 rubles of private investment. But most importantly, the invested funds certainly pay off. They will pay off. They will provide a powerful return, a comprehensive effect along the entire production chain. But this work must be done in a timely manner, understanding the planning horizon. I ask the government to include funding for these programs in the draft federal budget for the next three years in the amounts necessary to achieve the goals set. I repeat, the Far East has the potential for multiple growth in geological exploration, including the search for and extraction of high-tech raw materials – titanium, lithium, niobium, rare earth metals, which are required in the economy of the future. And the main thing is that we have all of this,” he noted.
The head of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Alexander Kozlov, commenting on Putin’s order in his Telegram channel, noted: “Vladimir Vladimirovich supported a multiple increase in geological exploration in the Far East. We have already developed a program, it includes the search for hundreds of deposits, including scarce minerals, which are necessary for even greater economic development. Geological exploration is a “long game”, because several years pass from the search for minerals to their extraction. And we are ready for this path! Thank you to the president for supporting our initiatives!”
/INTERFAX/