Dear employees of the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine, labor veterans, Almalyk residents!

Another year has passed, and now it's time to sum up its results. For our enterprise, it was intensive and productive: production issues were resolved, forecast indicators were exceeded, a huge return on the integration of science and production started, numerous agreements with foreign partners were reached both in the modernization of existing production, construction new facilities, as well as in personnel training, advanced training of already working specialists.

We can be fully proud of the results achieved this year. Thanks to the conditions created in the republic, comprehensive support of the government of the country and the head of state personally, selfless work of the team, the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine achieved fulfillment of almost all established indicators in 2022. Moreover, the annual tasks for many of them were completed ahead of schedule. Thus, marketable products in current prices were produced for 30.2 trillion UZS; production of cathode copper amounted to 148.5 thousand tons. Export of products was carried out for 953.5 million dollars. Tax payments to the country's budget exceeded 18.7 trillion UZS.

In 2022, almost everything planned was implemented. Large projects were carried out to modernize and technically re-equip production, develop new types of products, and deepen the processing of raw materials obtained at the AMMC. After the reconstruction, as part of the R&D Company for the production of rare metals and hard alloys, processing of industrial waste at the “Ingichka” Processing Plant has been started, which will increase the production of new types of export-oriented products with high added value.

In addition, all indicators were met for saving fuel and energy resources, reducing the cost of production, Program for localization, automation of production and others that make up the work of our enterprise. This allows us to enter the next year with confidence.

The coming year 2023 will be very important for us and in many ways decisive: by September, the first stage of the Investment Project for development of “Yoshlik-I” deposit should be completed and the quarry and the I-stage of the Copper Concentrating Plant No. 3 with a capacity 10 million tons of ore per year. Thus, due to the phased commissioning of all six stages of CCP-3, the total ore processing at the plant will be increased to 100 million tons.

Already, work is underway on the design of CCP-4, and the CCP-5 project is being developed. Design work has started to expand capacity of the copper smelter. This will be the basis for obtaining 300 thousand tons of cathode copper, 25 tons of gold and 176 tons of silver. In addition, projects to increase copper production to 500 thousand tons, gold to 50 tons and silver to 340 tons will become closer.

In addition, work is underway on a number of our other projects. In particular, scientific developments and research aimed at deep processing of copper, zinc and rare metals will be continued. In addition, localization programs, digitalization programs, projects to create a Copper Industry Cluster are being implemented gradually.

And if two years ago we associated the future of the enterprise exclusively or to a greater extent with implementation of the investment project for the development of the “Yoshlik I” deposit, creation of the Copper Industry Cluster, now, without exaggeration, we are entering a new era due to fruitful scientific research, in the course of which new types of metals for AGMK were obtained. So, for example, literally at the beginning of December, own cobalt was obtained. A little earlier, experiments were carried out to obtain high-purity molybdenum 99.995%. For the first time in the history of Uzbekistan, scientific developments of the plant scientists “Nickel-based super alloy” and “Industrial production of ammonium octamolybdate as an additive to polyvinyl chloride and plastic for smoke and fire suppression” received world recognition and were recognized as the best at the International Symposium on New and Nanomaterials.

Work continues on the creation of new, still experimental, alloys, which have already aroused great interest among world manufacturers. Thus, alloys of high-manganese steel modified with aluminum and nickel have already been obtained under laboratory conditions; high-manganese steel modified with nickel, and new wear-resistant cast iron based on chromium and molybdenum. In addition, this is not all that our scientists are working on and that is already the future of the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine.

In the traditional Message of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Parliament of the country and the people of Uzbekistan, the relevance of saving electricity was noted, in connection with which the National Energy Efficiency Program was adopted.

In this regard, I want to note the work of the plant on the transition to a "green economy" and saving electricity. This year alone, solar photovoltaic stations with a total capacity of 750 kW were built and put into operation at two facilities of the enterprise. By the end 2023, solar panels with a total capacity of 9 MW will be installed at 19 facilities of the plant.

Currently, work is underway on the project of a solar photovoltaic plant with a capacity of 100 MW with the involvement of foreign direct investment. It is planned to connect this station directly to the existing power grids of the plant and reduce the use of natural gas to generate electricity.

The outgoing year was significant for many important social and political events. One of the most important of them was the nationwide discussion of amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Speaking about this in the Statement, the President stressed that all proposals and wishes of citizens will be taken into account and the draft Constitution will be submitted to a national referendum. This is a striking result of consistent steps towards the democratization of our society.

For all production affairs, social issues were not left without attention. This year, reconstruction of the “Sinegorye” recreation area was started and completed; work was continued on major repairs of administrative buildings, business trips and workers' canteens. Fulfilling the National Program "Yashil Makon", employees of JSC "Almalyk MMC" planted hundreds of thousands of seedlings of fruit and ornamental trees. As part of the Year for Ensuring Human Interests and Strengthening the Mahalla, we are carrying out a major overhaul and reconstruction of the medical and sanitary blocks and maternity complex of Almalyk, a renovated hotel "Vesna" for 150 people has been opened, a garment factory has been built in the village of Chadak with financial support of the plant, providing 250 new jobs, significant assistance was provided for the development of mahallas. All clauses of the collective agreement of the enterprise were ensured, according to which all the provided types of assistance were provided to non-working labor veterans, lonely pensioners or those in need of social support.

Despite the fact that the work of the plant in its promising areas requires enormous financial costs, we found an opportunity for a one-time encouragement of the plant employees on their professional holiday and the New Year, congratulated employees of the AMMC on International Women's Day and distributed agricultural products.

Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine is not only production. Teams in the highest echelon of the country perform under the flag of AGMK in several types of sport at a time. Moreover, we must pay tribute; they adequately represent the plant in the republican and international arena. Athletes of men's and women's handball teams, men's volleyball and women's basketball teams, women's football team and futsal players achieved excellent results this year, the AGMK football team performed well. Also non-professional athletes - employees of our divisions, children and adults - pupils of the trainers of the physical culture and sports department of AMMC have achieved very significant results in powerlifting, chess, athletics, karate-do, kurash, freestyle wrestling, tennis and other sports, loudly declaring himself both at republican and international tournaments. I congratulate all the athletes on their achievements, and admire their commitment to self-improvement, their perseverance, willpower and sports spirit, which allow them to climb the steps of the podium.

This year, we will not only continue, but also pay even more attention to the social sphere in connection with implementation of the Year for Care for People and Quality Education declared by the President. Indeed, focusing on supporting education is the biggest investment in building the New Uzbekistan. In fact, this is its foundation, which we are laying today in the future of our nation.

We have a lot of work ahead of us, many plans are waiting to be implemented and a lot of groundwork has been made for the further development of the plant. Moreover, all these are not empty fantasies, but real deeds that the employees of Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine is doing today. I am grateful to each of you for your dedication, labor heroism, attitude to work, professionalism.

Happy New Year, I sincerely wish you and your families health, happiness and prosperity! And most importantly - peace and stability to all of us and our multinational Motherland!

Abdulla KHURSANOV,

Chairman of the Board of JSC Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex,

Member Senator of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan