In the early spring of 2017, while the snow on the grasslands in eastern Kazakhstan had not yet cleared, the inconspicuous town of Aktogai became lively. The world-class copper beneficiation plant constructed by China National Chemical Corporation has been completed and put into operation here, with a total investment of 2.1 billion US dollars and an annual processing capacity of 37 million tons of ore. During the construction period, nearly 2000 local workers were employed. For many years thereafter, the name Aktogai has been associated with China Kazakhstan production capacity cooperation. Now that the area it is located in has been transferred to the newly established Abai state, the story has turned a new page - on the same mineral deposit, a copper smelting plant has officially started construction.

The President personally visited the scene

During a meeting with Wen Gang, Chairman of China Nonferrous Mining Group, President Tokayev of Kazakhstan stated that China Nonferrous has rich international experience in mining and metallurgy, and has made contributions to the development of Kazakhstan's industrial potential. He emphasized that the construction of a copper smelting plant at the Aktogai deposit is of great significance and will inject additional impetus into the economic development of the Abai region and the manufacturing industry of Kazakhstan. Tokayev pointed out that China is one of Kazakhstan's key strategic and economic partners in the fields of trade and investment. The launch of today's project clearly demonstrates that cooperation between the two countries is steadily advancing. Wen Gang thanked Tokayev for his trust in large-scale projects and his personal participation in the ceremony, and assured the President that China will use advanced technology to complete the construction at a high level and on time, while paying special attention to strictly complying with industrial and environmental safety requirements. He stated that the implementation of the project will create new job opportunities and expand cooperation in local talent cultivation and experience exchange.

From beneficiation to smelting

This step was not easy. Mineral processing only turns ore into concentrate, while smelting means keeping resources locally and processing them into metals with higher added value. As early as June 2024, China National Chemical Corporation and its subsidiary, China National Chemical Corporation Kazakhstan, signed a general agreement with Kazakhstan for a 300000 ton/year copper smelting plant project, with a contract amount of 1.414 billion US dollars; The project is located in Abai State, with an initial cost of approximately 1.5 billion US dollars and is expected to create over 1000 new job opportunities. It is planned to be put into operation by the end of 2028. On October 19, 2026, both parties signed a preparatory work initiation agreement, with a maximum amount of 4.521 billion tenge, for mobilization, surveying, site preparation, and initiation of basic design.

Twenty years of trust

Trust is not built in a day. Since entering the Kazakhstan market in 2005, China Nonferrous Metals Group has successively undertaken a series of projects such as Pavlodar Electrolytic Aluminum Plant, Bachaku Copper Mine Selection Plant, Petroleum Coke and Sulfurization Unit, among which Pavlodar Electrolytic Aluminum Plant ended Kazakhstan's history of not producing electrolytic aluminum. The group has undertaken 7 major metallurgical engineering projects in Harbin, with a total contract value of 2 billion US dollars and a cumulative tax payment of nearly 150 million US dollars.

After the meeting, both sides agreed that the project will become another successful example of industrial cooperation between Kazakhstan and China, and will also pave the way for further cooperation between the two countries in the fields of metallurgy and deep processing.Editor/Yang Meiling