Bashkirian authorities intend to buy out a controlling stake in BSK

The government of Bashkiria is preparing a proposal to buy out a controlling stake in the Bashkir Soda Company (BSK), which had a conflict with residents of the region and environmental activists over plans to extract soda on Mount Kushtau, said the head of Bashkiria, Radiy Khabirov, in an interview with Echo of Moscow.

“The republic is also a shareholder, we have a good package. And as a republic we must take responsibility for ourselves. We are preparing an offer. We need to take over the enterprise. That is, we need to take a controlling stake, buy out a certain share from them, they will stay, this is their decision, ”Kabirov said.

He added that after receiving a controlling stake, the government of Bashkiria will decide the further fate of the enterprise.

On August 16, Khabirov ordered to suspend geological exploration on Mount Kushtau, which was conducted by the BSK, contrary to the opinion of local residents and environmentalists who oppose the development of minerals on the mountain. Clashes between BSK employees and environmental activists were recorded on 15 and 16 August, in which two police officers were injured.

On the territory of Bashkiria there are four famous shikhans - Tratau, Shakhtau, Yuraktau and Kushtau, which are the remains of a barrier reef of the early Permian period. BSK had Shihan Shakhtau in development, which by the end of 2020 will be practically exhausted. The conflict around the shikhans has been going on for several years.

The decision to transfer Kushtau to BSK as a raw material base for soda production was made in December 2018. In November 2019, the company received all the necessary documents and at the end of July began preparations for the development of the mountain.

Source: https://www.vedomosti.ru/