Services provided by NADRA GROUP companies for mineral resource exploration and extraction were provided to three client groups: governments, investors, and extraction companies, both domestically in Ukraine and internationally. In pursuing this, three main tasks were addressed.
The initial task involved compiling materials for analytical studies on specific types of raw materials and critically evaluating the findings of previous geological surveys to attract primarily foreign investments into Ukraine's mineral resource complex. These studies encompassed mineral resources extensively extracted in Ukraine, with significant explored reserves, in regard to which Ukraine holds leading global positions, and those that have been or were exported, such as manganese and iron ores, uranium, titanium, zirconium, graphite, kaolin, sulfur, potassium salts, bentonite clays, and facing stones. Additionally, they covered resources not yet exploited or minimally extracted but with industrially explored deposits, or those confidently prospected, including lithium, beryllium, vanadium, copper, molybdenum, rare earth elements, apatite, phosphorites, among others.
Since Ukraine obtained associate and later candidate status for European Union membership, the focus was on critical mineral resources for the EU. Materials have been prepared for European investors on lithium and other rare metal deposits, copper, titanium, cobalt, and rare earth elements in Ukraine. Particularly emphasized was the advantage of Ukrainian lithium deposits, which are of the geological-industrial type of rare-metal pegmatites, which can provide nearly 50% of the global lithium supply, compared to deposits in European countries where lithium may be a by-product. It has been highlighted that the development of explored primary titanium ore deposits in Ukraine, including one unique in reserves and several large ones, will fully meet Europe's demand for this metal and enable the extraction of vanadium and apatite as by-products. A geological and economic assessment has been conducted for Ukrainian investors on one of the titanium deposits and high-quality sands for construction under current economic conditions. Recognizing Ukraine's agricultural sector's leading role in the economy and its need for mineral fertilizers, a program has been developed to study granular phosphorite deposits and their extraction using well hydro mining technology. This program was presented to the regional authorities of the Chernihiv region.
The second task undertaken by NADRA GROUP companies was to search and select promising projects abroad for Ukrainian investors and extraction companies, with a particular focus on types of mineral resources that are scarce in Ukraine. Significant efforts in this regard were made in Mongolia, where data was analyzed and promising deposits and occurrences of tungsten, rare earth elements, and fluorite were identified. Preliminary geological and economic assessments were conducted, and a business plan for the exploration and development of a gold deposit in northern Mongolia was formulated. Company experts provided consulting services to evaluate the prospects of gold ore sites in Ghana, Mali, and Tanzania. A project for the exploration and extraction of kaolin in Africa was successfully implemented. Additionally, ongoing analysis of current demand, production, trends and dynamics in global mineral resource market prices, along with monitoring of mineral extraction and reserve increases worldwide, was carried out in the interests of investors.
The third task entailed promoting Ukrainian manufacturing companies and scientific teams within the NADRA GROUP partner network on the global labour and service market for conducting geological surveys abroad. The potential and capabilities of the Ukrainian geological community were showcased to the state geological and mining services of Mongolia, Ghana, Mali, and Tanzania.
Alongside these efforts, NADRA GROUP companies were engaged in activities focused on mineral resource exploration. These activities ranged from predictive-metallogenic studies and the assessment of resource bases in various territories to large-scale mapping and exploration efforts, ultimately culminating in the operational exploration of deposits under development.
NADRA GROUP companies were involved in geological surveys and operational exploration of numerous mineral deposits in Ukraine, conducting research and industrial development on these sites. Specifically, two independent investment projects were carried out in the Vinnytsia region for the exploration and extraction of abrasive garnets and kaolins. The granites in the first deposit contained up to 30% crystalline garnet. A project for extracting natural abrasive garnets was developed for potential investors. To evaluate the quality of the abrasive raw materials, NADRA GROUP commissioned the Centre for Mineral Research (Centre de Recherche Minerale) in Quebec, Canada to conduct a study on ore enrichment technology in 1997. The garnet volume obtained through magnetic separation accounted for 21.77% of the initial raw material volume. In 2000, industrial testing of abrasive garnet for hydro cutting stainless steel and aluminum components for Boeing aircraft was conducted at the plant of Bohler Hochdrucktechnik GmbH in Austria. The cutting quality was comparable to that of BARTON-Garnet (USA). However, following the oversaturation of the global market with loose garnets from India and Australia, which had low production costs, world prices for abrasive garnets significantly declined, rendering their extraction from crystalline rocks, including in Ukraine, unprofitable. Additionally, NADRA GROUP companies provided services to enterprises involved in the extraction, processing (crushing), and sale of kaolin.
To mitigate the negative impacts of mineral extraction, enrichment, and processing, and to promote their rational use, NADRA GROUP companies conducted studies and developed projects for utilizing waste from mining enterprises and coal-fired power plants. They aimed to draw the attention of government agencies and investors to these initiatives. According to available estimates, Ukraine has accumulated waste in the form of overburden, flotation and gravity tails, metallurgical slags, ash slags, sludge, and silt, totalling about 30 billion cubic meters over an area exceeding 140,000 hectares. The reserves of valuable mineral components in these technogenic deposits are vast. For instance, due to the extraction of iron ores in the Kryvyi Rih basin, approximately 2 billion tons of magnetite ore enrichment tails with an average total iron content of about 15%, and 550 million tons of oxidized iron ore dumps with a total iron content of about 34% have been accumulated. Preliminary data suggest that about 90 million tons of conditioned concentrate with a total iron content of 60-65% can be obtained from these materials. A technological scheme for the enrichment of oxidized iron ores has been developed within the NADRA GROUP partnership network.
As partners of the Public Organization "Ukrainian Association of Geologists (UAG)," specialists of* NADRA GROUP companies have participated and continue to participate in European projects related to mineral resources. One such project, INTRAW, was implemented to foster international cooperation in the field of mineral raw materials between the EU and technologically advanced countries in response to global challenges. The results of the project's analytical studies were used to create and launch the International Observatory of the European Union, a comprehensive infrastructure for the exploration of raw materials. This initiative aims to establish and maintain strong, long-term relationships with key global players in raw material technologies and scientific developments.
The current project, GSEU – Geological Service for Europe, aims to develop pan-European harmonized data and information services, focusing particularly on critical raw materials. The main objectives of the project working package in the field of raw materials are to reassess European resources of primary critical raw materials in both onshore and offshore deposits, evaluate mining waste resources with an emphasis on critical raw materials needed for the green transition, create and develop the EU International Centres of Excellence on Sustainable Resource Management (EU ICE-SRM), and facilitate the implementation of the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) and the United Nations Resource Management System (UNRMS) for managing mineral resources in Europe.