AKIPRESS.COM - The Oyu Tolgoi LLC last week celebrated the completion of Shaft 2 of the world-class OT underground project in Khanbogd soum, Umnugobi province of southern Mongolia, which is a significant milestone for the project, Montsame reports.

The ceremony was attended by national contractors who were crucial for the development of one of the world’s largest and most modern shafts project and other key stakeholders.

In special remarks delivered at the celebration event by Ambassador Batsukh Galsan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oyu Tolgoi LLC, highlighted the great support provided by the Government of Mongolia for this remarkable achievement, which increases Mongolia’s global competitiveness in terms of the mining and technology development.

Once Shaft 2 is fully commissioned and receives state licensing, it enables the following two important steps forward for the underground mine:

- Additional crews, materials and equipment to be transported and operate underground and;

- More rock to be removed from underground to enable further development and access to the ore body.

From this point, a number of people working underground will no longer be constrained by the Service lift capacity of Shaft 1, but rather by volume of air moving through the underground via the existing ventilation (shafts 1, 2 and 5). Additional ventilation capacity is under construction with two more ventilation shafts - shaft 3 (intake) and 4 (exhaust). Currently, 700 people are able to work underground per shift.