Homegrown gold exploration company, Deccan Gold Mines Limited (DGML), said on Tuesday it was ready to start operations in Kyrgyzstan’s Altyn Tor Gold project in the second half of 2025.
The project is located in Kyrgyzstan’s gold-rich mountains, and operated by Avelum Partners LLC, in which Deccan Gold holds a 60 per cent controlling interest. Once operations begin, it will become the first Indian-owned gold production facility in Central Asia.
Also Read: China’s loss may be Australia’s gain in rare earth supply
With pumps, compressors, and conveyors ordered and expected to be made available onsite within four weeks, the company, which says it will start commissioning its crushing and milling circuit within two months, calls the Kyrgyzstan mining project “an economic catalyst”.
“With the ball mill foundation laid and key equipment fabrication accelerating, we are on track for timely commissioning – proof that responsible mining and rapid execution can go hand in hand,” said Hanuma Prasad Modali, Managing Director of Deccan Gold Mines.
Modali said in a statement that a sewerage treatment plant had been ordered on the mining site to meet Kyrgyzstan’s ecological standards and that they looked forward to long-term partnerships in the country.
"We are committed to long-term partnerships and sustainable growth in Kyrgyzstan. Our project has already integrated over 150 local workers, and we are just getting started," he added.
The ongoing programme is expected to increase total resources beyond 200,000 ounces of gold, unlock opportunities for both a larger open pit and high-grade underground operation, and extend mine life to over 10 years.
The BSE-listed firm that describes itself as India’s first and only listed gold exploration company is pursuing an aggressive drilling program of approximately 5,000 metres to expand the Kyrgyzstan project's resource base. Results from a 2024 exploration had revealed high-grade mineralisation extending west and below the current pit design.
Deccan Gold was established in 2003 and holds exploration assets across India and internationally, including projects in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Mozambique, Kyrgyzstan and Finland. It holds exploration licenses in Tanzania and Mozambique as well.
Besides the gold project, the company is reviewing data on nickel, copper, graphite, and lithium projects in India and overseas. It is looking to secure these licenses, subject to a positive technical evaluation, the company's website reveals.
Avelum, which operates the Altyn Tor Gold project in eastern Kyrgyzstan, has been carrying out mining and geological work, repair work and equipment upgrades for the crushing and concentrator units of the plant since January 15, 2022.
The Altyn Tor Gold project, situated in the Tien Shan district, Naryn Province, Kyrgyzstan, has six tonnes of potential gold resources. Before Deccan Gold’s acquisition, the major shareholders of Avelum Partners were Hira Infratech India and Mededu Dubai.
The company also designed a leaching plant and tailing dam, which is trying to achieve an operation of 300,000 tonnes per year since 2024.
Follow us
