Apatit JSC (Russian: АО «Апатит») is a Russian mining and processing enterprise engaged in the extraction of mineral raw materials for manufacture of

chemicals A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., wit ...

and

fertilizers A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

. Main operations are the mining and processing of mines and processes

apatite Apatite is a group of phosphate minerals, usually hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite and chlorapatite, with high concentrations of OH−, F− and Cl− ions, respectively, in the crystal. The formula of the admixture of the three most common e ...

nepheline Nepheline, also called nephelite (), is a rock-forming mineral in the feldspathoid groupa silica-undersaturated aluminosilicate, Na3 K Al4 Si4 O16, that occurs in intrusive and volcanic rocks with low silica, and in their associated pegmatites ...

ore from the Khibiny deposit. Products are marketed locally and in Finland, Poland, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands.

History

"Apatit" was established in 1929. The company is based in Kirovsk,

Murmansk Oblast Murmansk Oblast (russian: Му́рманская о́бласть, p=ˈmurmənskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, r=Murmanskaya oblast, ''Murmanskaya oblast''; Kildin Sami: Мурман е̄ммьне, ''Murman jemm'ne'') is a federal subject (an oblast) of ...

. Its main plants are located in Kirovsk and in

Apatity Apatity ( rus, Апатиты, p=əpɐˈtʲitɨ, lit. apatites) is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located along the Murman Railway, west of Kirovsk and south of Murmansk, the administrative center of the oblast. The town is named after one o ...

, a town located at a distance of about 23 km from Kirovsk, near the eastern shore of

Lake Imandra Imandra ( sms, Âʹvverjäuʹrr, Russian: Имандра, Finnish: ''Imantero'') is a lake in the south-western part of the Kola Peninsula in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, slightly beyond the Arctic circle. It is located 127 m above sea level; its are ...

. Both towns are situated at the foot of the

Khibiny Mountains The Khibiny Mountains (russian: Хиби́ны ; sjd, Umptek) is one of the two main mountain ranges of the Kola Peninsula, Russia, within the Arctic Circle, located between Imandra and Umbozero lakes. The range is also known as Khibiny Massif, K ...

Developments

In the early 1990s, the rapid decline in demand for apatite concentrate led to a significant reduction in production volumes resulting in a struggle of survival for the company. In 1994, only 6 million tonnes of apatite concentrate were produced, compared to 20 million tons in 1988. This deep crisis led to privatization of the company, starting in 1994. Apatit was owned by

Mikhail Khodorkovsky Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky (russian: link=no, Михаил Борисович Ходорковский, ; born 26 June 1963), sometimes known by his initials MBK, is an exiled Russian businessman and opposition activist, now residing in L ...

's financial holding company Menatep Group in the late 1990s. Khodorkovsky and business partner Platon Lebedev purchased Apatit in 1994.

Andrei Guriev Andrey Grigoryevich Guryev (russian: Андрей Григорьевич Гурьев; born 24 March 1960) is a Russian billionaire businessman. He is the former head of PhosAgro, one of the world's four largest producers of phosphate-based fe ...

who ran a department of Rosprom at that time, became chairman of its subsidiary Apatit in 2001. Following the arrest of Khodorkovsky in 2003, Guriev led a management buyout of Apatit and acquired control. Apatit assets were seized by the state during Khodorkovsky's trial. Andrei Guryev led the sale of PhosAgro and 50% of Apatit to management. PhosAgro later increased its holdings to 57.57% of Apatit. The arrest and subsequent 11-month trial of Khodorkovsky revealed that the focus was not on the alleged 'loans-for-shares' scheme, but rather on claims that the privatization of Apatit in 1994 was itself fraudulent. At present, JSC "Apatit" is a large Mining and Chemical Complex consisting of four mines, three concentrating mills and various support units. Core production activity is the production of apatite concentrate from

ore. In the early 2000s, the company employed up to 13,000 people. In 2013, PhosAgro completed the consolidation of 100% of Apatit. Phosagro is controlled by Andrey Guriev together with two other prominent businessmen. A 7% stake in PhosAgro is owned by Igor Antoshin, who also serves as the Deputy Chair of the holding company. A further 10% is owned by Vladimir Litvinenko.

References

{{Reflist

External links

АО "Апатит"
phosagro.ru - Website of the company in Russian.
Holding company enterprises - Upstream Аpatit
phosagro.com - Website of the company in English.
OAO Apatit
mbdatabase.com Mining companies of Russia Companies based in Murmansk Oblast Mining companies of the Soviet Union 1929 establishments in the Soviet Union

History

Developments

See also

References

External links