President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon laid the foundation stone for a new iron ore enrichment plant of the Closed Joint-Stock Company (CJSC) Tajik Metallurgical Combine in Bobojon-Ghafourov district of Sughd province on April 1.
The Tajik president’s official website says this plant will be the first beneficiation facility in Tajikistan since the country gained independence.
This plant will be built with domestic and foreign capital and equipped with modern technologies to extract and process iron ore and other associated minerals and produce and export high-quality products from them. The iron ore reserves in this deposit alone are about 60 million tons.
The plant will be built in two stages, the first stage of which will be commissioned by 2027 and the second by 2031. The annual design capacity of the plant is 2.5 million tons of ore, of which 1.1 million tons of concentrate will be obtained. The volume of iron ore in powder is 62-65%. Other ferrous and non-ferrous minerals will also be produced from this deposit.
This plant is not only an import substitute, but most of its products are export-oriented.
Currently, 600 local and foreign specialists are involved in construction work, and after the first stage of the plant is put into operation, 1,200 people will be provided with permanent and well-paid jobs, and after the plant is fully ready, more than 2,000 people will be provided with permanent and well-paid jobs.
It was reported that there is a workshop for the production of such products within the plant to ensure the construction process with sand, gravel and concrete.
To ensure the smooth operation of the enterprise, the construction of the necessary infrastructure is underway, including a 220-kV high-voltage power transmission line for a distance of 14 kilometers, a 17-kilometer water line and a 15-kilometer highway. In the future, it is also planned to lay a separate railway line for a distance of 30 kilometers.
Also, a dormitory, a canteen and other necessary working conditions have been provided for the builders.
In order to effectively carry out the work, the enterprise has purchased more than 200 high-power machinery and equipment, which are operating around the clock.
