A forecast of nonfuel mineral production in Russia is
considered, based on the integration of the expected life
of specific deposits currently exploited and developed. It
is shown that mineral safety is fully ensured for copper,
nickel, lead, tungsten and tin, whose reserves are sufficient
for their extraction, at least at the current level, for
40–50 years and there are real prospects for its significant
growth. The sufficiency of other minerals is much
lower: for molybdenum and chromium, it is limited to
about 30 years, and the extraction of zinc and uranium
in Russia may significantly decrease in 20 years. The situation
is more difficult with the most liquid solid minerals,
like gold and diamonds. The commissioning of mining
enterprises at the developed gold deposits can ensure
a rapid growth in the production of the precious
metal in the coming years. However, at the beginning of
the next decade, the resource base depletion of the Olimpiada
field and a number of other exploited deposits is
predicted. The projects currently implemented for the
development of new fields do not compensate for the lost
capacity. This may account for a long-term (until the beginning
of the 2050s) decline in the Russian gold production,
which may be halved against the current level by
the end of this period. Such a scenario can only be avoided
with the intensification of geological exploration in
the coming years. The earlier decrease in the number of
diamonds mined in Russia, associated with the depletion
of reserves of exploited pipes, is predicted (since 2025).
Unless new deposits are discovered and developed, the
domestic production of precious stones will steadily decline
and, in the 2040s, may be reduced fourfold.
Giant Placers of the Victorian Gold Province
