Price parameters presented in this report should be regarded as relative given the difference in technical specifications of drilling services (drilling depth, subtasks of the work item, etc.). At the same time, they can serve as a good reference point for the market participants. Overall, from January to July 2016 tenders announced by mining companies amounted of KZT 33 billion (here and elsewhere excluding VAT – Ed.).
And peak of tender deliverer’s activity was recorded in February, March and April. In the total amount of goods and services requested the largest amount of money have been allocated for drilling and blasting operations – more than KZT 29 billion, or 86.7%. RC-drilling was on the second place – more than KZT 3 billion tenge, or 9%, while the core drilling – about KZT 1 billion, or 4.3%. Reverse circulation drilling not only maintains its position, but also shows an upward trend. For example, in the second half of 2015 it accounted for 9% of the total number of the tenders announced, research while the figure rose to 16% for the same period this year.
The minimum amount of work on this technology has reached 34,880 linear meters (348 to 800 thousand tenge) in JSC “AK Altynalmas” tender (2016.OK-109829 – hereinafter “a purchase code” in the NADLoC Agency registry), and the maximum one is 198,800 l.m. (more than KZT 1 bln) in JSC “Varvarinskoye” tender (2016.OI-108703). However, if the last year’s minimum starting price of RC-drilling amounted to KZT 3,122 per linear meter (tender by JSC “Varvarinskoye” 2014.OK-41393 is a contest with special conditions where many expenditure items were not included in the cost of drilling) and the maximum one was KZT 6,799 tenge (LLP “KAZ Minerals Bozshakol“, 2015.OK-57575), then in 2016 these figures have risen to KZT 5,692 (tender deliverer is JSC “Varvarinskoye” 2016.ОИ-108703) and KZT 10,000 (JSC “AK Altynalmas” 2016. OK-109829), respectively.
Thus, the price of RC technology per linear meter has increased by 82% and 47%, respectively, in percentage terms. Throughout the period from January to June the interest of tender deliverers in drilling and blasting operations was quite high. It will be remembered that the price of a cubic meter on this operations will depend on the amount of work (the more work, the lower the price), watering, the piece size of a blasted rock mass and a drill spacing.
The largest volume of drilling and blasting operations in monetary terms amounted to KZT 22,953,024 whose customer was LLP “Bakyrchik mining company” (2016.OИ-115861). As for the price range of these operations in 2016, the minimum winning price of one cubic meter was at around KZT 118 while the maximum one – KZT 949. The lowest price was set under the LLP “KazGeorud” tender (2016. OK-94842) and the highest one – over 64,731 m3 ordered by the “Kazakhmys” company (2016.OK-93971). And the average price level was KZT 404. The benchmarking assessment of 2015 and 2016 trend data shows fluctuations of core drilling prices. Please note that the service price here varies depending on a drilling diameter used (BQ, HQ, NQ, PQ).
Last year the minimum declared price of drilling with an NQ-diameter was KZT 10,480 per linear meter and the maximum one reached KZT 22,000. In the first case the work was carried out on the Rodnikovoye field (LLP “Yer-Tai”, 2015.OK74524), in the second case – on the Alpys field (JSC “Maikainzoloto” 2014. OK-34908). This year the minimum price level has not changed – KZT 11,000 (2016.OK-109783) but the maximum mark has increased to KZT 77,816. The highest prices for drilling with NQ-diameter was offered by LLP “KORGANTAS” (2016.OK-103009) which placed an order for execution of works in the Karaganda region between the villages Akzhal and Akshitau. Regarding the cost of drilling with PQ diameter, it is formed in the range of KZT 18,951 and KZT 24,813. The minimum price was declared by “Kazzinc” LLP for the work on Butachihinsko-Kedrovskiy block (2016.OK-99132) and the maximum – by LLP “OralElektroServis” on the Uzynzhal field (2016.OK-91361).
The difference between the lowest and highest prices of the drilling with HQ diameter was appeared to be nonsignificant, KZT 20,000 (2016.OK-107529) and KZT 26,400 (2016.OK-105287). At the same time, both figures compared to the previous year have increased by 53.85% and 23.77%, respectively. It is to be recalled that the minimum price in 2015 was KZT 13,000 (operations in the Tobolsk site of LLP “Brendt”, 2015. OK-66616) and the maximum one – KZT 21,330 (Moiynkum District, LLP “Yuzhspetsgeologiya” 2015.OK-51385).
The BQ drilling cost in the first half of this year has stood at KZT 14,240 per linear meter (2016.OK-103891). Analysis of the tender results allows to identify the most active companies which are able to specify direction of the market. For example, in the first half of this year the top five tender deliverers involved LLP “Bakyrchik mining company”, JSC “Varvarinskoye”, LLP “Orion Minerals”, LLP “KazGeorud” and LLP “Altyntau Kokshetau“.
There were some changes in top 5 tender winners compared to 2015. It includes “Raboty vzrivniye specialniyenitro” LLP, LLP “AK-NIYET BURGA”, LLP “Arkhei-2006”, LLP “Dzetygarinskiy Mining Company” and LLC “Mining technology.” The first place in the overall cost of services under a won tender took Maxam Kazakhstan Company – more than KZT 22 billion (2016.OI-115861) and LLP ”Gornorudnye tehnologii” closes the top 5 with KZT 766 million (2016.OK-95998). In general, the drilling services market in the first half of 2016 was stable in terms of the activity of its contestants. The total volume of tender proposals is similar to the corresponding period of 2015, and the price trend data have reflected the market law “reduced costs in a highly competitive market niche and a growth in a low competitive segment”.