Kazakhstan to join top 10 global refined copper producers — Tokayev

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the start of construction on the Aktogay copper smelter in Kazakhstan, according to the Akorda press service as cited by Qazinform News Agency. He said Kazakhstan holds over 9,500 mineral deposits, extracts roughly 160 million tons of ore and produces around 3.5 million tons of copper concentrate annually.

The new plant will have an annual capacity of 300,000 tons of cathode copper, fully covering internal market demand. Once launched, Kazakhstan will rank among the world's top 10 producers of high-grade refined copper. The facility will also produce gold and sulfuric acid. Tokayev said domestic manufacturing output reached $60 billion last year and that 540 industrial projects had been launched across all regions over the past three years, creating nearly 50,000 permanent jobs.

Tokayev outlined several key objectives for the plant's shareholders. He said all legitimate social needs of workers must be met, calling this the core principle of the 'Listening State' concept. Qazinform previously reported that Kazakhstan had announced plans to launch eight non-ferrous metallurgy projects in 2026.