Uzbekistan has launched Copper Processing Plant No. 3 at the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex (AGMK), marking one of the largest industrial projects in the country’s mining sector.
The $2.7 billion facility, built on a 196-hectare site as part of the development of the Yoshlik-1 deposit, is designed to significantly strengthen Uzbekistan’s industrial capacity and deepen domestic processing of mineral resources.
🏗️ A megaproject in every sense
The plant is capable of processing 60 million tonnes of ore annually and producing about 900000 tonnes of copper concentrate. This makes it not only one of the largest copper processing facilities in Central Asia, but also among the largest globally.
The scale is almost cinematic:
-
Steel structures used equal roughly 10 Eiffel Towers
-
Reinforced concrete volume comparable to 2.5 Burj Khalifas
International engineering leaders including Wood (Italy) and Worley (UK) were involved in the project, while technologies from Metso, FLSmidth, Weir Minerals and Siemens have been implemented.
⚙️ Smart factory powered by AI
The plant is built as a fully digitalised operation:
-
Unified AI-based control system
-
10% reduction in energy consumption
-
15% lower production costs
-
10% increase in labour productivity
Daily copper concentrate output at AGMK will double from 2400 tonnes to 5000 tonnes once the plant reaches full capacity.
🌍 Resource base for a century
Uzbekistan’s leadership highlighted the long-term resource strength underpinning the project. The Yoshlik-1 and Kalmakyr deposits contain:
-
45 million tonnes of copper
-
Over 5000 tonnes of gold
These reserves are expected to support the industry for at least 100 years. The deposits also include valuable by-products such as molybdenum, selenium, tellurium and rhenium — metals critical for high-tech and emerging industries.
📈 From raw materials to value chains
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasised a strategic shift from exporting raw materials to building full value chains.
Today, Uzbekistan already processes about 100000 tonnes of copper domestically, with plans to reach 240000 tonnes in the near term and continue expanding through new projects.
“Whoever builds a high value-added chain in copper will create the industry of the future,” the president said.
🚀 What comes next
The project is just one piece of a much larger industrial expansion:
-
A new $2.5 billion copper smelter is under construction
-
Copper cathode production will rise from 148500 to 300000 tonnes per year
-
Gold output will increase from 20 to 33 tonnes
-
Silver from 161 to 203 tonnes
-
Molybdenum from 850 to 1700 tonnes
A fourth processing plant is already in early planning, which could boost these figures by another 50%.
By 2030, Uzbekistan aims to reach:
-
500000 tonnes of copper
-
175 tonnes of gold
-
500 tonnes of silver
-
15000 tonnes of uranium
💼 Economic and social impact
The new plant alone will create over 6000 high-paying jobs, while the broader $22 billion pipeline of mining projects is expected to generate nearly 40000 jobs nationwide.
At the same time, environmental measures such as green landscaping and drip irrigation systems are being implemented under the “Yashil Makon” initiative, aiming to balance industrial growth with sustainability.
🎯 Big picture
Uzbekistan is clearly shifting gears from a resource exporter to an industrial powerhouse — turning copper from a rock in the ground into a backbone of future industry, from energy grids to AI infrastructure.
