BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 30. Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon launched the construction of the second phase of a metallurgical plant for the production of lead, silver, and copper in Istikol city of Tajikistan by laying the foundation stone, Trend reports citing the presidential press service.
According to the press service, the plant will be constructed by joint Tajikistan and China Mining Company by the end of 2024, and an amount of $50 million has been allocated for the project.
The press service said that the plant is expected to produce 30,000 tons of electrolytic lead, 50 tons of electrolytic silver, and 600 tons of copper worth more than 104 million somoni (over $9.5 million) annually.
The first phase of the metallurgical plant with a production capacity of 50,000 tons of lead and zinc metal per year was launched in 2017 with the participation of the country's president.
The third stage of development is also planned. It will include the construction of two metallurgical plants for the production of lead and zinc, workshops for the production of spare parts for the mining industry, sulfuric acid, and batteries.
According to experts' estimates, there are currently more than 400 deposits of minerals in Tajikistan, 214 of which are located in the Sughd province. Among them are deposits of lead and zinc, gold and silver, copper, coal, and other valuable minerals.
The Tajik-Chinese company, founded in 2007, has invested over $600 million in the country's economy over the period of its operation.
