According to the Forecast Production and Economic Indicators of TALCO for 2018-2030, the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) plans to produce 168,800 tons of primary aluminum this year, which is 65,000 tons more than last year.
In 2020, TALCO plans to increase primary aluminum production to 349,000 tons. In 2025, the company intends to produce 339,000 tons of primary aluminum. In 2030, TALCO intends to produce 380,000 of primary aluminum.
In 2017, TALCO produced 103,000 tons of primary aluminum, which was 26,000 tons less than in 2016 and 175,000 tons less than in 2012.
Aluminum production in Tajikistan has been dropping markedly since November 2016.
Representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT) attribute the setback in aluminum production in the country to decrease in the number of electrolysis baths, delayed supply of petroleum coke, an electricity blackout that hit Tajikistan on October 28, 2016, etc.
The TALCO press center noted on October 30, 2016 that the electricity blackout had nearly led to shutdown of the Tajik aluminum smelter.
Electricity blackout reportedly hit the city of Tursunzoda on October 28, 2016 at 6:31 pm. Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s national integrated power company) tried to resume electricity supply to the aluminum smelter at 8:40 pm but it failed. Power supply was resumed only at 9:30 pm but Barqi Tojik needed another one and a half hours to resume normal power supply to the smelter, therefore, normal power supply to the smelter was reportedly resumed at 11:18 pm.
Damaged caused to the Tajik aluminum smelter by the power outage has been estimated at 8 million U.S. dollars.
TALCO management noted in November last year that a new aluminum smelter with annual capacity of 503,000 tons is expected to be built in Tajikistan. The new aluminum plant will also be constructed in Tursunzoda, where the Tajik aluminum smelter operates.
The Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) is one of the ten largest aluminum smelters in the world. It consumes more than 30 percent 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. Tajik aluminum smelter has a rated capacity of 517,000 tons of primary aluminum per year. On April 3, 2007, TadAZ was officially renamed to TALCO – Tajik Aluminum Company.
