ArmInfo. A national geological service will be established in Armenia in 2027. Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia Asatur Vardanyan announced this to journalists on the sidelines of the Mining Forum Armenia.
Currently, the Ministry is taking effective steps, collaborating with foreign geological services, particularly from the United States and EU countries. "And we are trying to implement this model here," he noted.
Vardanyan explained that the state will commission these surveys from the geological service, which will allow the identification of new deposits and their offering to investors, who will receive guarantees of investment protection and a high degree of predictability.
It's worth noting that in his speech at the forum, Roman Khudoli, CEO of ZCMC, the country's largest mining company, noted that no new mining deposits have been discovered in Armenia over the past 10 years, and not a single new enterprise, even medium-sized, has been established. This poses a serious challenge that requires urgent attention. In light of this, Khudoli did not rule out the possibility that many of the eight operating mining companies in the country will cease mining operations by 2038. "If nothing is done, the sector will become exhausted," the head of ZCMC noted. He emphasized the importance of conducting geological exploration in Armenia, noting that a mine operator cannot undertake such tasks independently. Despite ZCMC conducting such research itself, Khudoli emphasized that a strong state strategy and policy are needed to withstand such a burden in this area. He emphasized the need to create an Armenian geological service that would undertake the study of the country's subsoil, future deposits, the assessment of promising areas, geological surveys, etc.
As a reminder, until the mid-1990s, the Armgeology Geological Production Association operated in Armenia, conducting geological surveys and reserve assessments. The State Register of Mineral Reserves currently lists approximately 670 solid mineral deposits with confirmed reserves, including 30 metallic deposits. Of these deposits, approximately 400 are being exploited, including approximately 20 metallic deposits. The subsoil of the Republic of Armenia is rich in the following metallic minerals: iron, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, gold, silver, antimony, aluminum, as well as the rare metal placers contained within them. Among metallic minerals, there are 7 copper-molybdenum deposits, 4 copper deposits, 14 gold and gold-polymetallic deposits, 2 iron ore deposits, and 1 aluminum ore deposit. In addition to the main metals, rare elements and their placers have been identified in the ore of deposits registered in the State Register: rhenium, selenium, tellurium, cadmium, indium, helium, thallium, bismuth and others.
