Geological and economic assessment of the development prospects and risks of developing gold deposits in the Republic of Tyva

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30686/1609-9192-2025-5-119-123

Читать на русскоя языкеV.O. Oorzhak
Institute of Comprehensive Exploitation of Mineral Resources of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
Russian Mining Industry №5 / 2025 p. 119-123

Abstract: This article presents a comprehensive geological and economic assessment of the development potential and associated risks of developing gold deposits in the Republic of Tyva. The relevance of the study stems from the region’s considerable mineral resource potential and significant opportunities for gold mining, while the Republic is also characterized by complex mountainous terrain, environmental constraints, and underdeveloped infrastructure. The aim of the study is to identify the most promising primary ore and placer gold deposits in Tyva and to assess their resource base, economic feasibility of development, and the development risks. The key objectives include an analysis of geological data and reserve estimates, comparison of the metallurgical and financial indicators, assessment of the development risks, and formulation of the development scenarios for this sector. The study employs widely accepted methods of project economic evaluation (NPV, IRR, among others), as well as scenario modeling of regional development that takes into account such specific regional risks as transport remoteness, ecological restrictions, and energy shortages. A comparative analysis of projects was conducted based on a combination of geological and economic criteria. The scientific novelty lies in the use of recent exploration data and statistical information (including those for the period of 2021–2024) to refine the in-place reserves and to calculate the profitability indicators. It also includes a comparative assessment of different deposit clusters. As a result of the study, the most promising ore zones, i.e. AkSug, Kyzyl-Tashtyg, Tardan, and Kara-Beldyr, were identified and their economic characteristics are presented (with the gold reserves of up to 83 tons and a high concentration of the valuable component). The practical significance of the study lies in its recommendations on priority investment generation and the geological prospecting programs. Compared to the previous studies, this paper offers updated quantitative resource assessments and proposes an integrated development approach that takes into account the region’s transportation, energy, and environmental constraints.

Keywords: geological and economic assessment. gold deposits, Republic of Tyva, mineral reserves, economic efficiency, prospective resources, Tardan deposit, Ak-Sug deposit, Kyzyl-Tashtyg deposit

Acknowledgements: The research was carried out under the state assignment of the Tuva Institute of Integrated Development of Natural Resources of SB RAS, Project No. 121031300230-2

For citation: Oorzhak V.O. Geological and economic assessment of the development prospects and risks of developing gold deposits in the Republic of Tyva. Russian Mining Industry. 2025;(5):119–123. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30686/1609-9192-2025-5-119-123

Article info

Received: 23.06.2025

Revised: 01.08.2025

Accepted: 04.08.2025

Information about the author

Valerij O. Oorzhak – Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor, Leading Researcher, Tuvan Institute for Integrated Exploration of Natural Resources, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kyzyl, Russian Federation; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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