Estimation of the effectiveness of geological exploration projects for base and precious metals, completed in 2023 at the expense of the Russian Federal budget

As part of the task of the FSBI TsNIGRI for the scientific and methodological support of geological exploration projects included into the State Order list of objects, that is provided by the State Assignment "Experimental, Methodological and Thematic Works", a compartive analysis has been performed of the expected and actually obtained results of the geological exploration at 20 projects completed in 2023. Based on the analysis, it was noted that the targets for localization and assessment of the forecasted resources of lead, zinc, and gold had been fulfilled at a level not lower than the average indicators of recent years. These targets were almost in full completed at 1 geological exploration project for base metals and at 5 geological exploration projects for gold. The main reasons were considered for the non-fulfillment/underfulfillment of the targets for localization and assessment of the forecast resources of precious and base metals for the State Order objects. It has been concluded that early phase geological exploration projects at the current level remain a high-risk production in economic terms. Reduction of the risks of the prospecting is possible by means of introduction into the practice of geological surveys of small- and medium-scale forecast-minerogenic works specialized on a certain type of solid minerals, especially within poorly studied territories, as well as by means of more efficient conducting of the geological surveys.