BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 11. Uzbekistan's Uzmetkombinat is exploring a new blast furnace and the development of several iron ore deposits in cooperation with China's SINO STEEL Engineering & Research Incorporation Limited as the steelmaker seeks to expand production capacity and strengthen its raw-material base.
This was reflected in the statement by the Uzmetkombinat following strategic talks between a delegation from Uzmetkombinat led by Chairman of the Management Board Bahodir Abdullaev and the management of SINO STEEL Engineering & Research Incorporation Limited during the Uzbek company's business trip to China.
The discussions focused on increasing Uzmetkombinat's production capacity, introducing advanced engineering and technological solutions, improving manufacturing processes and developing new industrial facilities.
A key project under consideration is the construction of a new blast furnace at Uzmetkombinat. The parties also discussed geological exploration, drilling and potential industrial development of the Tebinbulak, Temirkan and Zakar-Chuyan deposits.
"The talks represent an important step toward advancing major strategic projects aimed at strengthening Uzmetkombinat's raw-material base, increasing its technological capacity and creating new metallurgical production facilities," the company said.
The development of domestic mineral resources could be particularly important for Uzmetkombinat as it seeks to expand steel production and reduce constraints related to the availability of raw materials. Developing the Tebinbulak, Temirkan and Zakar-Chuyan deposits would potentially provide the company with additional sources of iron ore and other mineral resources needed to support future production.
At the same time, the proposed blast furnace would represent an expansion of Uzbekistan's metallurgical capacity and could enable greater volumes of steel production if the necessary raw-material and infrastructure requirements are secured.
The talks with SINO STEEL also reflect Uzmetkombinat's broader strategy of attracting international engineering expertise and advanced technologies as part of its ongoing transformation.
The sides discussed the technical aspects of the proposed projects and prospects for moving cooperation toward practical implementation. Further work is expected to focus on geological studies, engineering solutions and the assessment of the projects' industrial potential.
