In early 2001, Newmont signed an amendment to the existing ore supply agreement, by which the Uzbek state entities allow Zarafshan-Newmont to purchase an equivalent of 150 million metric tons of ore at an average grade of 1.44 grams per metric ton. The amendment is expected to extend the life of the operation to at least 2013. Zarafshan is a heap leaching operation, which over the life of the project, will process 242.5 million tons of existing stockpiles of low-grade oxide ore from the Muruntau mine. The project uses a four-stage crushing process. A mobile primary jaw crusher moves throughout the stockpile as the ore is reclaimed.
Conveyors transport the ore from the central fixed crushing plant to the leach pad.
No trucks are used. In the first six months of this year, 7.7 million tons were placed on leach pads at an average grade of 0.049 opt.