Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of China Nonferrous Metal Mining Co. Ltd., Xi Zhengping, discussed cooperation in the copper industry, according to Kazinform news agency, citing the press service of the Cabinet.
The meeting culminated in the signing of an agreement, in the presence of Prime Minister Bektenov, to construct a copper smelting plant with an annual capacity of 300,000 tons of copper. The agreement involves KAZ Minerals Smelting as the client, China Nonferrous Metal Industry’s Foreign Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. (NFC) as the provider of design and equipment procurement services, and NFC Kazakhstan as the contractor for construction and commissioning.
The plant will be built near the village of Aktogay in the Abay region. It will use copper concentrate from the Bozshakol and Aktogay mining and processing plants, operated by Vostoktsvetmet. Upon completion, the project will create a cluster combining one of the world’s largest copper mines with modern copper smelting facilities. The project, with an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, is expected to create over 1,000 new jobs and be operational by the end of 2028.
This high-tech enterprise will be the largest in the republic, producing high value-added products. The technologies used in the copper smelting process will meet global environmental standards. The plant will satisfy domestic market needs for processing copper-containing raw materials and producing cathode copper, which is extensively used in electric power, mechanical engineering, and other industrial sectors. Additionally, the new plant plans to produce refined gold, silver, and sulfuric acid.
“The Head of State has set a task for sustainable economic growth. The construction of a new copper smelting plant is a major industrial project that will increase the processing of copper raw materials mined in the country and make a significant contribution to our economy. The copper industry is one of the priority sectors of our industry, and its dynamic development is very important to us,” emphasized Olzhas Bektenov.
China Nonferrous Metal Industry’s Foreign Engineering and Construction Company Ltd (“Non Ferrous China”) is a state-controlled company listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. It participates in international project contracts and the development of non-ferrous metal resources. NFC was the first Chinese company to invest in mining assets for the extraction and processing of non-ferrous metals outside China and also owns mining projects within the country. It operates in over 20 countries worldwide and has been the leading contractor on KAZ Minerals projects – Bozshakol, Aktogay, and Bozymchak.
