Interview: Unearthing Ferrexpo’s Unique Geology
What drew you to a career in geology?
“My parents were geologists, and my father was widely known in these circles. I have fond memories of my childhood being surrounded by geologists or mining professionals. It was a ‘revolving door’ of experts from all corners of the former Soviet Union! Most of my friends’ parents were also in the industry, and school encouraged us to take part in mineralogical studies and fieldwork projects. The choice of profession was obvious.”
What are your main activities as Chief Geologist at Ferrexpo?
“There are many aspects to my role but ensuring efficiency of production and management of our orebody is the most important. This requires regular analysis to expand our knowledge of the orebody, making exploration and development more economic. The better we understand the minerals beneath us, the better we can produce a more sustainable product and further contribute to the European green steel supply chain.
“I manage all exploration campaigns, and I am responsible for JORC resource estimates and reporting, and other geological projects outside current mining operations. In addition, I am also involved in research to develop technology and innovations that make the Group resilient to the headwinds of the industry and am privileged to be working with such a competent and dedicated team.”
What is so attractive about Ferrexpo’s iron ore deposits?
“Ferrexpo’s key differentiator is the fact that the entirety of our deposits are concentrated in a single global geological structure (the Kremenchuk Magnetic Anomaly (KrMA)), the entire surface territory of which is licensed exclusively to Ferrexpo to explore, estimate and mine. Ferrexpo is unique in holding this sort of license. The main iron mineral in our deposits is magnetite, which is favoured in steelmaking as it typically contains fewer impurities than haematite (more commonly found in North and South American iron ore deposits).
“Another feature unique to the Ferrexpo ore body is the concentric horizontal zoning of minerals in contrast to the vertical zoning typically found in North American taconites or Brazilian itabirites. The zoning consists of ‘grey’ quartzite in the middle of the ore body while ‘red’ quartzites are positioned at the western and eastern edges. Both grey and red quartzites lead to two different metallurgical types of ore, suited to produce different quality pellets. Red quartzite enables us to produce pellets with over 68% content of iron, which command a premium in the market because of their high grade and smaller carbon footprint. The grey quartzite is used for production of pellets with slightly less content of iron (65-67%), but still considered high grade among our peers.”
How have the company and your colleagues shown resilience in the face of ongoing war?
“I’m very proud of the way Ferrexpo has supported internally displaced people following the invasion, in many ways including the Humanitarian Fund. For those relocated to Horishni Plavni, the Company provides accommodation, meals and, where possible, employment. Ferrexpo also provides direct support to the families of serving employees and will continue to do so until our common victory over the enemy. Two of my 700 colleagues defending our country are geologists and the entire Ferrexpo geological team is resolute in supporting them through participating in volunteering programmes ourselves.”
What are your ambitions both at work and outside of work?
“I am passionate about providing high-quality, low-impurity products to our customers, and have been busy helping to develop an Ore Flow Management System (OFMS) to ensure the stable operation of the plant. When the OFMS is implemented, I hope to be part of the group ramping up the production process as well as leading the ore classification stage.
“Outside work I continue my passion for geoscience! Every deposit in the world is unique and we, as geologists, can always learn something new and I believe these findings deserve to be studied in greater detail and shared with the public. Hence, from time to time, I publish articles in industry and scientific magazines, deliver presentations at conferences and lecture at institutions. Aside from geology I explore my current fascination with the pre-Mongolian-war history of Ukraine (I see many similarities with today’s invasion of Neanderthals), as well as travel, sport, theatre and jazz music.”
(Dated 26 November 2024.)