The Bushyn salt deposit in Zakarpattia Oblast is currently not functioning at full capacity, which forces Ukraine to turn to the purchase of technical salt in Africa. This was announced by the head of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration Viktor Mykyta in an interview.
According to him, development of the field began in 2022 as a result of the Russian invasion, and the work was noted at a high speed, which caused constant difficulties. The main problem was that the surveying work at the time of the start was not sufficiently done, and as a result, adjustments had to be made, such as concreting the shaft and fortifications.
After a detailed study of the deposit and confirmation of the presence of salt, the reinforcement of the entrance to the mine, which is more than 200 meters long and 70 meters deep, began. However, this process took a lot of time. The main goal was to provide the country with technical salt in the amount of 400 thousand tons annually, but problems with the infrastructure and the need for fortification caused the need for corrections.
Noting the risk of destruction of roads by trucks transporting salt, the authorities started negotiations with Ukrzaliznytsia regarding the laying of a separate track to the deposit. Currently there is an agreement, but the issue remains open due to the use of all investments for the construction of tunnels and the passage to the mine.
At the moment, one more year is needed to establish the infrastructure and complete the deposit. The investor has already invested about 170 million hryvnias in this project. The Bushyn deposit currently produces about 45 tons of technical salt per day, which, if necessary, can be increased to 200 tons. However, this is not enough to meet the needs of the entire country.
It is important to note that the quality of Transcarpathian salt is higher than African salt, but the cost of shipping technical salt from Africa is now more profitable. The price of Transcarpathian salt from the Bushtyn deposit is 3,000 hryvnias per ton, but it remains competitive due to its high quality.
