According to the International Copper Research Group (ICSG), in 2021 the global production of refined copper was 24.5 million tons and demand was 25.33 million tons. As a result, today there is a shortage of copper in the world market. This need will only be offset by the rapid development of the "green economy" and renewable energy sources, and the increase in the production of electric cars, household appliances and electronics.

The rapid development of high-tech productions requires the additional processing of cathode copper in our country and, accordingly, the transition to the production of high-value additional products.

At the same time, the annual income from the sale of copper in the Almalyk mining and metallurgical complex, which is considered the main copper-producing enterprise in our republic, is about 2.5 billion US dollars. It is expected to increase copper production to 500,000 tons per year by 2030, which will increase the annual income to 8-9 billion US dollars, taking into account related industries. For this purpose, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev ordered the creation of a scientific and technical cluster for the production of copper products and finished products with high added value. Canada's leading foreign consulting company Hatch was involved to develop the cluster development concept at the complex, and together with it, work was carried out to determine the position of Uzbekistan in the international market for the production of finished copper products. In addition to developing proposals for the development of higher value-added products, Hatch will explore opportunities to maximize the production of copper, a key raw material for the copper cluster.

In accordance with the initial recommendation of the consulting company, Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex began to implement a project for the production of copper foil with a thickness of 6-9 microns, which is used for lithium-ion batteries, among other products. Based on this, it can be said that in the near future, Uzbekistan will be able to provide maximum localization and production of lithium-ion batteries. This is certainly a gratifying and unique development in the industry.

In addition, taking into account the increase in the number of electric cars, the factory also managed to launch a project for the production of square wire used in electric motors. At the first stage, the production capacity was 6,000 tons, and in the future there is a possibility to expand it to 12,000 tons.

At the moment, successful efforts are being made to increase the volume of production of products with high added value. In particular, on the basis of the Scientific Production Association for the Production of Rare Metals and Hard Alloys, projects for mastering the production of three new types of copper-based products worth $13 million are being implemented. Finally, copper strips and sheets, spherical powders of copper alloys (bronze and brass) are produced here. As a result, 11,000 tons of zinc will be processed per year, and an exportable product worth 134 million US dollars will be produced.

Today, there are prestige projects at the Angren Pipe Plant, which has a production capacity of 8,000 tons of copper pipes. Five investment projects with a total value of 14 million dollars are expected to be implemented here. It is worth to note that it is scheduled to produce 4 new types of products: mastering the production of capillary pipes, copper rods, alloy fittings and straight pipes with a diameter of 25 mm to 42 mm and increase the production capacity of copper pipes to 20 thousand tons.

The main goal of the complex is to increase the production of cathode copper. For this purpose, the investment project "Development of the Yoshlik I" mine with a total value of more than 4 billion dollars is being implemented by Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex. As part of this project, it is planned to launch the largest machine-building plant in the Republic, which produces new types of mining and metallurgical equipment and spare parts. This unique enterprise with a project capacity of 500 million dollars is expected to be commissioned in 2024. About 2,000 people can be employed at the new machine-building plant designed for the production of 35 new types of mining and metallurgical equipment. In general, the scope of the project can be estimated by the fact that it occupies 11 thousand hectares of the mining area. The mine contains more than ten precious and rare metals, such as gold, copper, silver, molybdenum, and selenium. At the moment, a third copper beneficiation plant is being built here at a rapid pace. In the fall of 2023, this facility will start processing ore. Designing of the fourth and fifth factories has begun. All this allows to get additional income from not only copper production at the complex, but also production of various products with high added value aimed at export, increase the competitiveness and rating of the enterprise in the foreign market.

Dilafro‘z EGAMBERDIYEVA