The newly built copper processing plant at the Almalik Mining and Metallurgical Complex in Uzbekistan has been officially completed and put into operation, with an annual ore processing capacity of 60 million tons. The project is located in eastern Uzbekistan, near the city of Almalik. At the commissioning ceremony attended by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, official data showed that the factory's maximum annual output of copper concentrate could reach 900000 tons. Local officials stated that the newly added production capacity will help the Almalik complex rise from the top 30 global copper companies to the top 10 global processing capacity. Copper, as a key strategic metal for global energy transition, is widely used in the fields of renewable energy, electric vehicles, and modern infrastructure. With the acceleration of electrification processes and increased investment in clean energy in various countries, copper demand will continue to rise in the future.

Significant increase in production capacity

Mirziyoyev stated that after the commissioning of the No. 3 copper processing plant, the daily production of copper concentrate by the Almalik joint venture will increase from 2400 tons to 5000 tons. The project will also provide high paying employment opportunities for over 6000 young people. At present, the annual copper processing capacity in Uzbekistan is about 100000 tons. With the advancement of subsequent projects, the deep processing capacity is expected to increase to 240000 tons. The official forecast is that the mining output of ore from the Joshlik-1 deposit will reach 20 million tons this year, and increase to 60 million tons within two years. Uzbekistan's Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, Raziz Kudlatov, stated that Almalik Mining plans to double its copper production, with an annual output of at least 500000 tons, and the country has the resources and strength to achieve this goal.

Investment Layout and Industrial Strategy

The project has a total investment of 2.7 billion US dollars and covers an area of 196 hectares. It is an important measure for Uzbekistan to promote the localization and deep processing of mineral resources and reduce its dependence on primary raw material exports. In the past nine years, Uzbekistan's mining industry has attracted nearly 10 billion US dollars in foreign investment, and there are currently 65 private enterprises participating in mining development. In recent years, the country's mining output value has increased by 1.7 times, and last year its output value reached 270 trillion sum, occupying an important position in industrial output value and fiscal revenue. At the same time, the downstream metal industry is developing synchronously, with jewelry production increasing more than three times and output value exceeding 13 trillion som.

Advanced Technology and Digital Operations

The project will start construction in 2021 and be completed in 2025, with a construction period of only about 4 years, much faster than the usual 7 to 10 year construction period for similar projects. The core equipment such as flotation and grinding in the factory is provided by Meizuo, and the electrical and drive systems are supplied by ABB in Sweden. The overall construction is participated by multiple international enterprises. The project adopts a comprehensive digital operation mode and achieves unified control through artificial intelligence, which can reduce energy consumption by about 10%, production costs by about 15%, and increase labor productivity by about 10%. Keywords: copper processing, capacity improvement, energy transformation

The Yushlik-1 and Kalmagil deposits in Uzbekistan have proven copper reserves of approximately 45 million tons and over 5000 tons of gold, providing sufficient raw material support for long-term production. We plan to invest 2.5 billion US dollars to build a new copper smelting plant and plan to construct a fourth copper processing plant to continue expanding the scale of the copper industry.Editor/Gong Ziwei