THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF LEAD CONCENTRATE MAY BECOME BANKRUPT

On November 7, 2024, the Primorsky arbitration received a claim from Amur Machinery and Services. In it, a legal entity from Khabarovsk demanded that the Dalpolymetal mining and metallurgical complex be declared insolvent (case No. A51-21326/2024). The largest Russian producer of lead concentrate owed the plaintiff over 26 million rubles. The basis, in particular, was the contract for the supply of equipment, confirmed in court (cases No. A73-12495/2023 and No. A73-12000/2023).

It is worth noting that this is not the only attempt to declare Dalpolymetal bankrupt. In the past, several companies have also announced their intention to initiate bankruptcy proceedings due to accumulated debts, including Moscow-based Mining Company Universal LLC and Khakass-based Ekos-S LLC. By the end of the year, the mining and metallurgical complex had accumulated an impressive debt to creditors, which further aggravated its financial situation.

The history of the company already knows cases of bankruptcy. In 2016, at the initiative of the Federal Tax Service, the arbitration of Primorye sent the mining and metallurgical complex under supervision, later replacing the procedure with external management. A year later, Dalpolymetal signed a settlement agreement with creditors and the bankruptcy process was terminated. By that time, the debt of the mining and metallurgical complex amounted to about 8.5 billion rubles.

Difficulties have worsened in recent years due to economic conditions and sanctions, which was also recognized by the Governor of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako. He noted that the company, having lost tax benefits after exiting the SPIC regime, faced increased costs and a deterioration in the market situation, which led to losses.

At the moment, control over Dalpolymetal belongs to foreign companies, including Chanam Limited and other Cypriot structures. The authorities of the region are considering the possibility of its nationalization by analogy with the Dalnegorsk Mining and Processing Plant.

Alarming signals about the financial condition of the enterprise are also confirmed by wage arrears. Recently, the prosecutor's office of Dalnegorsk had to intervene to achieve the payment to employees, which they had been waiting for in September. As a result of the intervention, salary debts in the amount of more than 46 million were repaid. The payment for the first half of October was made under the supervision of the supervisory authority.