One of the region’s most technologically advanced new metallurgical facilities has been commissioned in Pavlodar Region, with Fonet Er-Tai Mining launching a hydrometallurgical copper cathode plant near the village of Akademik Alkey Marghulan on the border of Pavlodar and Karaganda regions.
The plant, which represents an investment of more than 11 billion tenge, will process locally extracted copper ore to produce up to 5,000 tonnes of copper cathode per year and is expected to create more than 300 jobs. Pavlodar Region Governor Asain Baykhanov attended the opening ceremony, describing the launch as the beginning of a new phase of industrial development for the region. He also noted that Ekibastuz, which had previously carried monotown status, had formally exited that designation this year — a transition the new plant symbolically reinforces.
The facility’s use of hydrometallurgical processing technology was highlighted as a key differentiator. Unlike conventional ore processing methods, the approach enables more efficient metal recovery while reducing the environmental footprint of production — a combination the regional authorities said aligned with the strategic industrial goals set by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Copper cathode is considered a critical material for the energy sector, industrial applications, infrastructure development and high-technology manufacturing. The plant processes ore from the Kodzhanshad 4 and Mayasalgan 2 copper deposits in the Ekibastuz District.
Fonet Er-Tai AK Mining is registered in Pavlodar Region. Its shareholders include Netherlands-registered YT Investment B.V., which participates through a Kazakhstani subsidiary, alongside Kazakhstani citizens Maksutbek Yesenov and Mukhit Zhanasov
