On October 15, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the development of the Yoshlik-1 deposit in Almalyk and the third copper processing plant being built on its basis.
The Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex is a leader in extracting non-ferrous, rare, and precious metals. It accounts for 5 percent of the country’s gross industrial output and 6 percent of industrial exports. About 35 thousand people work in the plant system.
Last year, 148 thousand tons of copper, more than 17 tons of gold, and 162 tons of silver were produced. $1 billion 100 million in investments were mastered, and products worth $662 million were exported.
In recent years, as a result of an increase in the volume of geological exploration and investment, new production opportunities have opened up. One of them is the Yoshlik-1 deposit. In accordance with the Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan of March 1, 2017, a promising investment project is being implemented here.
The deposit’s area is 11,000 hectares. Its reserves are also significant – 65 million tons of ore per year. This deposit contains 13 types of valuable and rare metals, such as gold, copper, silver, molybdenum, and selenium.
The Head of state visited the deposit, got acquainted with the mining operations, and talked with specialists.
To produce high-value products from the ores of the Yoshlik-1 deposit, the third copper processing plant of the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex is being built. The foundation was laid on July 29, 2021.
This large project costs $4.6 billion, including the development of the deposit, the construction of the plant, and its infrastructure. At present, 200 million cubic meters of the deposit surface have been opened, 41 kilometers of railways have been laid, and a 650-megawatt substation has been installed. Equipment has been delivered from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Türkiye, China, Russia, and other European countries. Construction of the factory and other infrastructure is proceeding at an accelerated pace.
The President got acquainted with the large-scale construction work carried out here. Information was presented on the economic efficiency of the future plant, the advanced technologies used, and the conveniences during operation.
In the first stage, the plant can process 60 million tons of ore annually. Due to this, 917 thousand tons of copper and 2.5 thousand tons of molybdenum concentrates will be produced annually, and 5,600 people will be employed.
This large project also gave impetus to the development of related industries. For example, 6 plants for the supply of metal structures for the plant’s construction were put into operation. Engineering, IT, and professional education are reaching a new level. There is a demand for new housing and services.
The logistics process will also be simplified at the plant. Conveyors will connect all the plant buildings, eliminating the need for manual loading and transportation of ore and reducing costs.
The capacity will reach 160 million tons in the second stage, or three times the initial figure. As a result of implementing these two stages, by 2028, the enterprise will have the capacity to produce 400 thousand tons of copper, 50 tons of gold, and 270 tons of silver per year. Thus, the Almalyk plant will become one of the world’s largest industrial complexes in the mining and metallurgical industry.
According to international estimates, Almalyk’s gross copper reserves are 45 million tons, and gold – more than 5,000 tons. This is one of the most significant indicators in the world.
Another important aspect is that the green economy, electrical engineering, and electric vehicle manufacturing are dynamically developing worldwide today. As a result, by 2030, the demand for copper products is expected to increase by 40 percent.
This means that the products of the Almalyk plant will be in demand on the international market for many years. In the future, the volume of products manufactured by the plant will increase more than threefold. Its value will reach almost $8 billion. 11,000 new high-tech jobs will be created.
UzA