BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. Kazakhstan plans to construct a new copper smelter in the city of Balkhash, the press service of the Kazakh government reported.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov signed a resolution approving the investment agreement between the Ministry of Industry and Construction and Qazaq Smelter LLP.
The new plant will be built in the Karaganda region with total private investment estimated at 750 billion tenge (about $1.5 billion). Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with commissioning planned for 2030.
The facility will have an annual production capacity of 300,000 tons of cathode copper, 10 tons of gold, 300 tons of silver, and more than 1.5 million tons of sulfuric acid.
The project is expected to create around 1,200 permanent jobs. At the time of the plant's launch, 90% of employees, including those in management positions, will be Kazakh specialists, with the share set to increase to 95% within five years. The investor has also committed to financing the education of 50 students at educational institutions in the Karaganda region.
"The launch of the new production facilities will increase Kazakhstan's copper output by 1.5 times, to more than 800,000 tons per year. Exports of higher value-added products will rise from 460,000 to 760,000 tons of copper annually. The enterprise will also be equipped with advanced technologies and digital solutions," the government said.
According to the government, Kazakhstan's manufacturing sector expanded by 9.8% in the first six months of 2026, driven by growth in machinery manufacturing, food processing, the chemical industry, oil refining, and construction materials production. During the same period, the country produced 232,000 tons of cathode copper.
Cathode copper is a key raw material for manufacturing value-added products, including electrical cables and equipment, pipes, construction materials, automotive components, as well as bronze, brass, and other copper alloys.
