The installation of the Metso Vertimills, part of the addition of an extra concentration section at the complex, will be complete by 2020 in a single unit. Stoilensky will have the ability with the line, which will up its capacity by 14%, to ramp up its concentrate output.

Metso said the order will be the first Vertimill 4500 stirred mill installation for the Russian iron ore industry. The order, made in the June quarter, will be delivered in the December of 2019.

"The technique of using vertical mills to grind ore has been successfully applied at more than 100 iron ore mining and processing enterprises worldwide. This technology at Stoilensky GOK will increase the efficiency of production processes and provide the necessary growth in the production of iron ore to enable the supply of cost-competitive raw materials to the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Combine, Russia's largest steelmaking enterprise," Stoilensky project management director Marat Mryasov said.

Metso Vertimills feature a proven grind efficiency from varying feeds, from as coarse as six millimetres to products finer than 20 microns, as well as reduced media consumption. There are now more than 440 Vertimills in use globally.