Construction of copper concentrate plant worth $5.3 bln starts in Uzbekistan

TASHKENT. Oct 16 (Interfax) - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev familiarized himself with the construction of the third copper concentrate plant and launched the construction of the fourth one at the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex (MMC), the Uzbek media reported on Wednesday.

According to media reports, the new enterprises are being built to develop the large deposit Yoshlik I, which contains 13 types of precious and rare metals.

The construction of the third copper concentrate plant began on this deposit in 2021. The project is worth $4.6 billion. "The president familiarized himself with the large-scale construction work in detail," the report said.

The second stage of this project includes the construction of the fourth copper concentrate plant. "The president pressed a symbolical button, starting the construction of the new plant," the report said.

The project, which is worth $5.3 billion, will create capacities to receive 146 tonnes of cathode copper, 13 tonnes of gold and 73 tonnes of silver annually. According to the report, the construction of the two plants will give the enterprise capacities to produce 400,000 tonnes of copper, 50 tonnes of gold and 270 tonnes of silver a year by 2028.

It was said at the event that the fifth copper concentrate plant is being designed.

The Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex (Almalyk, Tashkent region) is the only copper producer in Uzbekistan and one of the largest producers of non-ferrous metals in Central Asia. The plant accounts for five percent of the GDP and six percent of industrial products export. Some 20 types of products are exported. Some 35,000 people are working in the plant system.