The company MR Invest, 75% owned by Rinat Akhmetov’s UMGI (UMGI Invest), has won the auction for a special permit to use the mineral resources of the Irliava clay deposit in the Zakarpattia region, according to the Prozorro.Sale platform.
The auction took place on November 5, with MR Invest offering 10 million hryvnias for the permit—only one thousand more than the second bidder, Imex Minerals.
The 10-year permit allows for geological exploration and subsequent clay extraction. The Irliava deposit is located in the Uzhhorod district, between the cities of Mukachevo and Uzhhorod.
Preliminary estimates suggest the deposit holds around 1.1 million cubic meters of clay—both light clay, suitable for producing facing and façade ceramics and porcelain stoneware, and yellow-brown clay used for brick and coarse ceramic products.
Akhmetov’s partner in the project will be the Zakarpattia-based company Terragres, owned by Valentyn Shevetovskyi, founder of the Golden Tile ceramic holding.
The project continues Akhmetov’s group strategy of expanding its mineral resource base in Ukraine and abroad. Earlier, in July 2024, the subsidiary UMG Kaolin acquired a license for a kaolin deposit in the Zhytomyr region, and in 2023, Akhmetov’s Vesco Group began clay extraction in northeastern Spain.
