Evgeny Grabchak: A year-round ban on mining may soon be introduced in Transbaikal and Buryatia.

“We have heard the requests from the regions and will impose such a restriction. I believe that the necessary regulatory framework will be established in the near future, and this activity will be generally prohibited not only in the southern part of the Irkutsk region but also sequentially in Transbaikalia and Buryatia, because this is one energy zone and the shortages are common for all three regions,” said Grabchak in the podcast “What Will Happen to Mining in Russia?”.

Earlier, within the framework of the mining ban in Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory, it was proposed to introduce restrictions in certain zones and only during the peaks of spring-autumn energy consumption.

Grabcak added that in mid-March amendments were made to the regulatory framework that allow miners to engage in this type of activity in prohibited areas if the miner uses their own isolated power generation facility disconnected from the energy systems. For example, by utilizing the energy from flaring associated gases in the oil industry.

Let us remind you that in April, the government of the Russian Federation imposed a complete ban on mining activities in the southern Irkutsk region until 2031.