As a result of many years of research and development by scientists and specialists of the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex  (AMMC), rhenium metal with a purity of 99.9% was obtained in 2021. This rare element is extracted from ammonium perrhenate, which is produced at a copper smelter by reduction with hydrogen.

According to the plant's business plan, the start of industrial production of rhenium was planned for 2025. Currently, a specialized site equipped with the most modern German equipment has already been created at the Uzbek Technological Metals Plant. Raw materials for production come from a copper smelter and other domestic enterprises. AMMC plans to produce up to 3 tons of rhenium annually.

For information: Rhenium ranks 75th in the periodic table and has unique physical and chemical properties, which makes it in demand in a wide variety of industries. One of the densest and hardest metals, rhenium is widely used in oil refining as the main component of catalysts. It is also indispensable in aircraft construction and electronics.

In the nuclear industry, rhenium is used to make thermocouples used to measure high temperatures in reactors. In addition, rhenium is used in medical research to produce special equipment for the treatment of serious diseases.

In the jewelry industry, rhenium is used as a coating for jewelry.

The average price of rhenium on the world market today is about 2,000 USD per kilogram – the demand for this metal is consistently high.