Kazakhstan to join top 10 global refined copper producers — Tokayev
Possessing vast natural mineral wealth, Kazakhstan must utilize these resources efficiently, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said, announcing the start of construction on the Aktogay copper smelter, Qazinform News Agency cited the Akorda press service.
Kazakhstan holds over 9,500 mineral deposits, extracting roughly 160 million tons of ore and producing around 3.5 million tons of copper concentrate annually.
"On the whole, our domestic manufacturing industry is demonstrating significant growth. Last year, output reached $60 billion.
Over the past three years, 540 industrial projects across all regions have been launched, creating nearly 50,000 permanent jobs. Today, we begin implementing another major industrial project that will give an added boost to our economic development.
The new plant will have an annual capacity of 300,000 tons of cathode copper, fully covering internal market demand. Following the launch, Kazakhstan will rank among the world's top 10 producers of high-grade refined copper. In addition, the facility will produce gold and sulfuric acid. Such a large-scale project is set to make a substantial contribution to developing our domestic metallurgical industry," President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The President outlined several key objectives for the plant’s shareholders.
"All legitimate social needs of workers must be met. This is the core principle of the 'Listening State' concept. The Government and local authorities must maintain close ties with workforce teams and work actively in accordance with the concept of Law and Order," the Head of State noted.
Qazinform News Agency previously reported that Kazakhstan had announced plans to launch eight non-ferrous metallurgy projects in 2026.