OOO "Institute of Geotechnologies"
Areas of activity
The OOO “Institute of Geotechnologies” provides the following range of services:
Consulting and
Analytics
Consulting and Analytics
“Institute of Geotechnologies” primarily focuses on geological and technical audit, consulting and project activities. The company delivers to its customers a broad spectrum of evaluation, project and consulting services in the areas of geological exploration and extraction of solid minerals.
“Institute of Geotechnologies” provides consulting services for implementation of most complex prospecting and evaluation, geological exploration and mining projects, and also comprehensive assistance to mining enterprises in the Former USSR countries and a number of other countries. Consulting and research activities are our key priority and focus on assistance in selection and implementation of corporate development strategies and individual corporate projects, identification of the best development and financing options, monitoring financing in the interests of creditors and investors. Leveraging many years of our expert experience and capabilities of our partners, we continuously strive to expand the range of our intelligence and consulting services to our corporate customers, exploring and mining precious metals, and also other companies, banks and funds, operating in the market.
Depending on specific projects and customer requirements, IGT performs resource base reviews, provides recommendations for reserve validation and revision, prepares databases and 3D geological and mathematical models for reserves and resources, creates development concepts and strategies, organizes and classifies resources and reserves in international (JORC) and national (GKZ) formats, various stages of feasibility studies under international (Scoping/Pre-Feasibility/Feasibility Study) and national (TER/TES/TEO/Project) requirements, prepares Investment offers and Project Information Memorandums, Business Plans for development of solid mineral sites, assists in raising various forms of equity and debt financing.
Releasing multiple analytical publications, IGT is continuously expanding its range of contacts and strengthening its reputation with entities, financing exploration and production projects for solid minerals (in particular, gold) and corporations that own such projects.
Geological and
Technical Project Audit
Geological and Technical Project Audit
Currently IGT also acts as an authorized independent consultant for a number of leading Russian banks in the area of gold exploration and mining project financing. In this capacity, and also as an independent consultant for banks, funds and other financial institutions (Russian and foreign ones), IGT takes part in review and selection of projects for potential financing and advisory support for ongoing financing processes.
Along with those services, IGT performs in-house due diligence, and if required, engages additional partner company specialists, gap analysis, project financing reviews and provides independent comprehensive expenditure supervision services.
Geological Interpretation
and 3D-Modeling
Geological Interpretation and 3D-Modeling
IGT specialists are renowned experts in estimation of reserves and resources. Our approaches to estimation of geological resources and reserves leverage geological, structural, geotechnical, hydrogeological and technology factors that might impact the degree of reserve estimation reliability and create risks of mining losses for quantity and quality of minerals during further extraction and processing.
We are working to converge international and Russian approaches to estimation of reserves and resources and classification systems. Our reserve and resource estimation reports are equally applicable both for investment purposes and for reporting to government regulators (RF State Reserves Committee, SRC). IGT specialists are SRC experts and members of international professional communities (AIG).
Targeting
Targeting
Targeting is based on an English word, “target”. Our use of “geological targeting” is similar to the use of foreign “exploration targeting” term, which stands for selection of the most promising areas (targets) for prospecting.
What is the purpose of targeting? It is a tool to reduce geological risk, financial costs and save time. The objective of targeting is to select the best areas to identify deposits. This objective is vital for any subsoil user, performing mineral exploration or follow-up exploration.
Geological targeting comprises a sequence of activities, required for subsequent geological analysis, assessment of quality and validation of previous activity results, higher accuracy of area resource estimates, reduction of geological risk and ultimately, improved efficiency of exploration investments.
Through the lens of our own practices and practices of companies, operating in Australia and Canada, we are confident that geological targeting today is one of the primary ways to reduce geological risks in early stages of managing projects, related to prospecting, exploration and subsequent development of promising areas.
Geological exploration is a rather capital-intensive investment to obtain geological information for a selected subsoil area, and area exploration quality and success generate its initial value. Correspondingly, efficiency of early operation phases and cost reduction early on are a major objective for any investor or subsoil user. Geological targeting is one of the most efficient tools for prospecting tasks and focuses on selection of the most promising areas for mineral exploration. This is a set of activities, combining efficient desk study and field measurement methods to achieve reliable geological evaluation of a selected site at initial phases of prospect evaluation surveys and to significantly reduce exploration risk during initial evaluation of areas: collection, compilation and analysis of all available geological and geophysical and geochemical historic data, interpretation of multispectral satellite images and a detailed area orthophotomap, based on UAV aerial photography, reconnaissance traverse with geochemical sampling and ore rock mapping, geostructural surveys for verification of prospective anomalies. These data are used to develop the first layers of a GIS project to either reject an area or streamline further investment by focusing on mapped primary anomalies. Relatively low costs and efficient targeting bring significant benefits at subsequent work stages.
Pre-Application
Assessment of
Area Potential
Pre-Application Assessment of Area Potential
IGT experts possess extensive experience in managing and performing operations in the interests of customers during preliminary phases of subsoil licensing process.
Based on our geological exploration expertise, we can make a few conclusions on generic subsoil user “faults” – they have inflated expectations, based on the level of the existing resource estimates, a formal approach to analysis of historic geologic and geophysical data, failure to observe exploration phases, lack of or use of incomplete information for selection of license areas.
Participation in tenders and auctions could be viewed as targeting of sorts, since it provides for selection and acquisition of a promising area (offered by the government or claimed by subsoil user).
According to data, published by the Federal Subsoil Resources Management Agency (Rosnedra), the number of annual auctions and tenders has been on the decline, the number of failed auctions and tenders has been on the rise. 688 current licenses for solid minerals were terminated in 2010-2013.
The primary reason for license termination is subsoil use license relinquishment by owners – from 43 to 61 % of the total terminated licenses (/www.zolotodb.ru/article/11153 ) were relinquished by their owners. In 2018 over 300 auctions and tenders for subsoil use rights for solid minerals were carried out, of which 232 (77.3%) were deemed effective (www.rosnedra.gov.ru/data/Files/File/6104.pdf). It is likely that the relinquished license numbers and lower participation in auctions are indicative of failed exploration expectations and low interest of auctioned blocks.
Our experience in support of prospecting and evaluation operations in some areas, acquired by subsoil users at state auctions based on subsoil area lists, shows that many auctioned areas are of subprime quality. Inferred resources, bought by subsoil users through auctions, often fail to bring any confirmation by exploration.
Since there is an inherent risk of buying an area without a deposit of required size and quality, a potential subsoil user should have an opportunity to visit and assess such areas prior to any auction. This will help reduce the risk of acquiring areas of little promise.
This service type resonates with targeting. High-quality desktop targeting, supported by expert-led field reconnaissance routes, provides for more efficient and less costly “filtering” of areas and picking the best areas for licensing and new deposit prospecting, thus bringing significant savings to subsoil users.
Preparation of
Prospecting, Evaluation
and Exploration Projects
Preparation of Prospecting, Evaluation and Exploration Projects
In 2016 the government regulator initiated a claim-based licensing arrangement, stimulating hundreds of large, medium and small companies to either expand their resource capabilities or to start building experience in mining, which is quite a challenging and high-risk environment. Over 4 years the number of prospecting and evaluation licenses increased by more than three thousand. However, all projects, related to subsoil development, start with preparation of a prospecting and evaluation project. Moreover, preparation of a prospecting and evaluation project and approval by FBU “Rosgeolexpertiza” are the main license commitments for this type of license. In-house IGT experts will help with collection and analysis of all available historic geological data for a licensed area, preparation of a required document, compliant with standards and varying payment estimates, and also will follow a project through state expert review by FBU “Rosgeolexpertiza” to approval.
Project Support
Project Support
Engineering and geological support services for field geological exploration are a key area of "Institute of Geotechnologies" Group activities. Our experts have a strong track record with projects in various degrees of exploration – from prospecting to detailed exploration and production. Our geologists and engineers are hand-picked for each individual project to achieve scheduled goals and objectives with maximum efficiency.
Our partners are leading Russian organizations, specializing in geochemical surveys, surface geophysical prospecting, airborne geophysical surveys and drilling operations of any degree of complexity.
Conferences and
Training Seminars
Conferences and Training Seminars
"Institute of Geotechnologies" (IGT) was established in 2003 and is the umbrella brand for IGT Group. It is a private independent company with no affiliation to any industrial or financial group. The company is a resident at M. V. Lomonosov MSU Science Park.
Our strengths derive from our skills and experience, knowledge and successful application of best global exploration practices, accumulated in close cooperation with leading global mining, consulting and engineering companies.
IGT is a research and production platform for a number of corporations. Our partnerships with a number of Russian and Western industry companies enable short-notice engagement of highly experienced field experts for subsoil use-related tasks. Cooperation with specialist companies and opportunities to engage experts from any field help us put together highly skilled expert teams and provide high-quality solutions.
We invest into intellectual capacity and innovations. Our cooperation with Lomonosov Moscow State University, other leading Russian universities, Russian R&D and foreign consulting companies helps us to continuously improve skills of our experts and customer employees and provide access to best global geological exploration practices.
IGT builds similar relations with major and medium-sized mining companies (both Russian and foreign) under engagements for selection and review of projects for (co-)financing or acquisition by these companies, and also under engagements for streamlining their in-house projects and portfolios, and follow-up for portfolios and individual projects in various phases of development.
Under a number of projects with various forms of financing, IGT performs comprehensive activities to create greater project development potential and to generate higher shareholder value and liquidity.
IGT is actively networking with those foreign companies that are globally recognized leaders in mineral exploration and mining. We have cooperation agreements with Royal IHC (the Netherlands), Metal Focus (UK), FPI (France) in place, partnership proposals from several Australian companies are being considered.
It should be noted that IGT co-manages and operates multiple annual international conferences, such as “North East: Territory of Development” (Moscow), “MINEX Far East” conferences/exhibitions (Magadan, Khabarovsk) and “GeoEurasia” conferences/exhibitions (Moscow), focused on promotion of exploration in Russia’s Far East and stimulation of investment into geological exploration and the mining industry of Russia. Our conferences present us with opportunities for continuous networking and expanding professional activity subjects.
Along with conferences and publications we have developed lecture courses, related to solid mineral geology and commercial development. Our lecture course content is published at our website.