en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Kazakh government has approved a project to build a new large-scale copper smelter in the city of Balkhash, with Prime Minister Oljas Bektenov signing the relevant government resolution. The project is based on the tasks previously set by the President to promote deep processing of raw materials and expand the production of high-value-added products.

The site is located in the city of Balkhash, with construction planned to begin in 2027 and operations to commence in 2030. According to the plan, the project will have an annual production capacity of 300,000 tons of cathode copper, 10 tons of gold, 300 tons of silver, and over 1.5 million tons of sulfuric acid once operational.

The project is expected to create approximately 1,200 long-term jobs. When the plant begins operations, Kazakh nationals will account for 90% of the workforce, including management positions; within the following five years, this share is expected to further increase to 95%. The investor has also committed to funding the training of 50 students at educational institutions in the Karaganda Region.

Once the new plant becomes operational, Kazakhstan's national copper output is expected to grow by approximately 50%, with annual production rising to over 800,000 tons; the annual export volume of high-value-added copper products is expected to increase from 460,000 tons to 760,000 tons.

The Kazakh government stated that the project will adopt modern production processes and digital solutions.