About the passion for the study of the Earth, about the team of geologists of Consolidated Iron Ore, on whose professionalism the mining and processing production and the final quality of iron ore products depend, about the peculiarities of deposits that are mined by Kryvyi Rih miners – all of this is in a conversation with Eduard Bespoiasko, Chief Geologist – Head of the Mining Department of Metinvest Group.
For those born in Kryvyi Rih, mining and steelmaking often become priority areas for choosing a future profession. Eduard Bespoiasko, whose father was a specialist in drilling geological exploration wells, had obvious prospects. It was either a hereditary aptitude for geology or his father's stories about geological field trips to the southern coast of Crimea with tents that worked – probably both.
The young man's period of study at the geological and processing faculty fell on the 90s. In his last year, he got a job at Ingulets Iron Ore as a petrographer. He worked in the laboratory, researching enrichment products and rocks. Thanks to the support of his supervisors – Orlando Machado, deputy head of the Central Laboratory, and Valerii Yevtiekhov, head of the Mineralogy and Crystallography Department - the talented young specialist entered the postgraduate course and in 2005 successfully defended his dissertation for the Candidate degree. At Ingulets Iron Ore, Eduard Bespoiasko worked his way up from a petrographer to the head of the laboratory, from the chief geologist to the head of the technology department of the plant.
"Support and motivation are always very important to me. When I was still studying, I didn't know if all that science would work for me. And when I began to work and apply the knowledge gained, understanding came. I liked my work very soon. It is interesting because it is related to research, and this is always something new. Now I am sure that this is my destiny."
In 2024, Eduard Bespoiasko headed the geological function of the Mining Department.
"Was it difficult to build work in a new way with an expanded team and new tasks?"
"When two years ago the company decided to merge three plants into a single management structure in order to increase work efficiency and maintain production volumes during the war, it was necessary to create a single team of geologists from Ingulets, Central and Northern Iron Ores. Of course, at first it forced everyone to step out of their comfort zone, because any changes are about a temporary loss of predictability. As a manager, I had to study the features of all deposits, get to know people and build communication. But due to the fact that we employ highly professional people in each mining subdivision, the work was well in hand in a short time and today we are a strong team working for one result."
"Is geologist more of a male or female profession nowadays?"
"When I was still studying, there were ten percent of boys in my student group, the rest were girls. And the teachers told us that in the past, geologists were mostly men. Now, due to the war, our geological function consists mainly of women. Their work is also associated with high physical activity: you need to walk a lot around the deposits, take samples, carry kilograms of rock with you. But our women-geologists and women-miners who help them with geological work cope with everything. Many thanks to them for this."
Едуард Беспояско
"Are there fewer male geologists because some of them have been mobilized for service?"
"Yes. Four of our colleagues are currently defending the country in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These are Oleksandr Zhuk, the geologist of the Pervomaiskyi open pit mine, and Oleksandr Rakhubinskyi, the district geologist of the same open pit, Vladislav Karpenko, the chief geologist of the Kolachevskyi mine, and Kostiantyn Lazarenko, the district geologist of the Ingulets open pit mine. We really want them to return to their families and to their life's work – geology – alive and unharmed as soon as possible."
"What are the main tasks performed by geologists on the ground?"
"Geologists are subsoil prospectors. They study the properties of our ores, because today great importance is given to the quality of finished products. Every year, consumers' demands for improving the quality of iron ore raw materials are growing. Therefore, the task of geologists is to study ores so that it is possible to mine them with such properties that allow us to produce concentrate and pellets of a quality that is expected from us. The ores of our deposits differ in composition and technological properties. Even in different parts of the same horizon, they can vary significantly. For everything to work stably at the plant, you need to know all these characteristics and study them. Then, based on the information provided by geologists, miners can extract, store, charge and feed ore to factories with exactly the quality characteristics that are required to obtain the best result."
"What features should a skilled geologist have, in addition to good physical shape?"
"First of all, there should be attentiveness, as well as an honest and responsible attitude to work. In no case should you be cunning and provide approximate unverified data. After all, the further work of the entire production chain depends on this: from mining to shipment of finished products. The second, in my opinion, is the desire for development and learning new things. Recently, we have increasingly seen that with the deepening of open pits, ore can dramatically change its properties. And not to miss, to know and to analyze these changes, you need enough knowledge and analytical capability. This is very important for a geologist."
"Usually, geologists have considerable collections of minerals, rocks, ores and fossils. What findings have happened recently?”
"Just the other day, in the Annovskyi open pit mine, my colleagues and I saw beautiful amethyst druses, sometimes we find a variety of agates, pomegranates, tiger's eye and gypsum roses. Sometimes we find a pyrite, the so-called "fool’s gold”. But in Kryvyi Riharea they say that the best gold is iron!”
“How many years in advance are Metinvest's Iron Ores provided with ore, and therefore with work?”
"Today, we have a total of approximately 2.3 billion tons of explored ore reserves for all deposits of Consolidated Iron Ore. Even with 100% capacity utilisation of our plants, we will have enough work for at least half a century. But I believe that more than one generation of miners and geologists will have enough work.”
“Your wishes to the team for the professional holiday”
"I wish everyone patience and endurance to wait for better times, and they will certainly come. I believe that soon our colleagues-defenders will pick up the usual geological tools, not weapons. I wish everyone new victories in life and at work, discoveries and growth, as well as prosperity for our company.”
