DUSHANBE, January 29, 2016, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan has reportedly increased production of primary aluminum.
In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tajik Ministry of Industry and New Technologies Shavkat Bobozoda noted on January 28 that Tajikistan produced 139,000 tons of primary aluminum last year, which was 14,000 tons more compared to 2014.
Besides, 12,000 tons of primary aluminum was processed into manufactured goods in Tajikistan itself last year, which was 4,000 tons more than in 2014.
Tajikistan also increased aluminum exports last year. In 2015, Tajikistan reportedly exported 130,900 tons of primary aluminum, which was 5,900 tons more than in 2014.
Meanwhile,
Tajikistan Economic Update, No 2, Fall 2015
by the World Bank notes that the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO), the country’s largest state-owned enterprise (SOE), will attempt to expand its annual production capacity to 270,000 tons over the next two years in anticipation of a moderate increase in global aluminum prices.
However, the recent decline in global commodity prices casts doubt on previous projections, the World Bank report notes.
The Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) is one of the ten largest aluminum smelters in the world and provides up to 70% of the country’s foreign currency earnings, consuming 40% of the country’s electrical power. TALCO is wholly owned by the Tajik government. Tajikistan does not mine alumina but imports the raw material through tolling arrangements.
Construction of the Tajik aluminum plant (TadAZ) began in 1972, and the first pouring of aluminum took place on March 31, 1975. On April 3, 2007, TadAZ was officially renamed to TALCO – Tajik Aluminum Company. The Tajik aluminum smelter had the capacity to produce 517,000 metric tons per year.
