DUSHANBE, July 21, 2016, Asia-Plus – Over the first six months of this year, the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) has produced more than 73,100 tons primary aluminum, which was 13.6 percent more than in the same period last year, according to the TALCO press center.
In January-June 2015, TALCO produced more than 64,300 tons of primary aluminum.
In 2015, Tajikistan produced 139,000 tons of primary aluminum last year, which was 14,000 tons more compared to 2014.
Tajikistan Economic Update, No 2, Fall 2015 by the World Bank notes that the Tajik Aluminum Company, 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.
Meanwhile, according to data from the Customs Service under the Government of Tajikistan, Tajikistan has exported about 73,500 tons of primary aluminum over the first six months of this year, an increase of 20 percent over the same period last year.
This year, the major trading partners for Tajik aluminum were Turkey – more than 52,300 tons (more than 70.5 percent of Tajikistan’s total aluminum exports); Taiwan — more than 16,500 tons; the Virgin Islands – 288.2 tons; Uzbekistan – 133 tons; and Pakistan – about 30 tons.
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.
