By the end of 2028, a new copper smelting plant will be launched in the Abay region, costing $1.5 billion. The project is a result of cooperation between Kazakhstan and China and aims to significantly increase the production capacity of the region.
"The construction of the plant will create a cluster that combines one of the world's largest copper mines and a modern copper smelting production facility. The high-tech enterprise will become the largest in the country, and the applied technologies will meet global environmental standards," the government reported.
The construction agreement was signed following a meeting between the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chinese company China Nonferrous Metal Mining Co. Ltd., Xi Zhengping. Within the framework of the project, KAZ Minerals Smelting will act as the customer, while the Chinese corporation will provide design and technological equipment procurement. NFC Kazakhstan will handle the construction and commissioning work.
The plant's design capacity will be 300,000 tons of product per year. The raw materials will include copper concentrate from the Bozshakol and Aktogay mining and processing plants, as well as from the enrichment plants of Vostoktsvetmet. The project is expected to create over a thousand new jobs, strengthening the region's economy.
In addition to cathode copper, which is widely used in industry, the plant will produce refined gold, silver, and sulfuric acid.
