29.07.2021

A solemn ceremony dedicated to the start of the construction of the third copper-concentrating factory was held at the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex.

 - I cordially congratulate all of you on today’s joyous event - the beginning of the construction of a new copper-concentrating factory at the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex, - said President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. - On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Independence of our country, we are full of good hopes and starting the implementation of such a large-scale project. This important event is a true hallmark of a new era not only in the complex, but also in the history of domestic industry.

It was noted that in recent years the activity of the complex has reached a high level, copper production increased 1,5 times and reached 150 thousand tons.

Over the past three years, 475 boreholes with a total depth of 206 thousand meters have been drilled at the deposits of the plant. More than 100 thousand ore samples taken from these deposits were thoroughly analyzed in foreign laboratories. According to international assessment criteria, total copper reserves are estimated at 45 million tons, and gold reserves at more than 5 thousand tons. These are the highest rates in the world.

It was also identified that the ore mined here contains silver, molybdenum, selenium, tellurium, rhenium and other rare metals.

Today one can notice a worldwide increasing attention to the «green economy» and renewable energy sources; the electrical industry is rapidly developing. As a result, copper demand is projected to grow by at least 40% by 2030. This means that the products of the Almalyk Complex will be in demand for many years to come at the world level.

Therefore, our country pays a profound attention to expanding the extraction of non-ferrous and precious metals.

One of the breakthrough steps in this direction will be the construction of the third copper-concentrating factory worth $2 billion on the basis of the «Yoshlik-1» deposit. At the first stage, this enterprise will process 60 million tons of ore per year.

At the second stage the processing capacity will grow to 160 million tons, which is 3 times more than we have today. Following the implementation of these two stages, by 2028 the enterprise will have an annual production capacity of 400 thousand tons of copper, 50 tons of gold and 270 tons of silver.

Thus, the Almalyk Complex will become one of the world leaders in the mining and metallurgical industry.

- In the future, the volume of products produced by the plant will increase more than threefold, and its value will increase from the current $2,5 billion to about $8 billion. 11 thousand new high-tech jobs will be created.

This will expand the access of our youth to such modern professions as geologist, engineer, technologist, designing engineer, programmer and others.

The achievement of these lofty plans will be a truly revolutionary step, - the President noted.

The President also touched upon the prospects for the development of the mining and metallurgical industry.

From next year, geological exploration will move toward the international JORC standards. In the next 5 years, the volume of ore mining and processing will increase from 130 million tons to 300 million tons per year through all projects in the country.

Currently, companies from Canada, France, Japan, Turkey, China and other countries are working on geological exploration and development of deposits in our country.

The President has noted that the opportunities for foreign investors in this area will continue to expand.

In particular, it is planned to reduce the tax rates for copper and gold mining from 10 to 7%, natural gas and oil - up to 10%, uranium - up to 8%, wolfram - from 10 to 2, %. Such conditions will be attractive for investors.

In order to provide the industry with qualified personnel, a geological branch of the University of Pisa (Italy) will be opened in Tashkent.

Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Gazprombank Alexey Matveev, Director of SRK Consulting for Central Asia Mike Beare, geologists and metallurgists, and the representatives of the elder generation attended the ceremony.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has laid the foundation stone for the third copper-concentrating factory.