Tajikistan launches construction of new steel works with 2.5 mln tonnes of iron ore annual capacity  The construction of a new steel and metals plant has begun in northern Tajikistan, in the Bobojon Gafurov district in the Sughd region, the Tajik presidential press service said in a statement.Tajik President Emomali Rahmon laid the foundation stone to build the Tajik Steel and Metals Plant CJSC, an iron ore enrichment plant, on Tuesday.The plant is being built in two stages, the first until 2027 and the second until 2031."The annual design capacity is 2.5 million tonnes of ore for mining and processing, of which, 1.1 million tonnes of concentrate is produced. The powder contains 62-65% of iron. Associated ferrous and non-ferrous minerals will also be extracted from this deposit," the statement said.Iron ore reserves at the deposit are estimated at approximately 60 million tonnes.The plant will be equipped with cutting-edge technology for ore mining and processing, it said. Most of its products will be designed for exports.A total of 600 local and foreign personnel are currently involved in the construction work. After the first phase is commissioned, the plant will create 1,200 jobs, and after its full commissioning over 2,000 jobs will be created.To ensure uninterrupted operation of the steel and metals plant, construction of the required infrastructure, including a 220 kV high-voltage power transmission line that is 14 kilometers long, as well as a 17-kilometer-long water supply network and a 15-kilometer-long highway, is underway. A separate 30-kilometer-long railroad line is also expected to be built in the future.As previously reported, the Tajik Steel and Metals Plant was commissioned in 2016 in Gissar, 20 kilometers from Dushanbe, to produce rebar, angles, iron pipes, and trays of different diameters. "The metallurgical plant has installed the latest equipment imported from Russia. At the first stage, the plant will set up production of rebar with diameters from 12 to 27 millimeters. In the future, there are plans to import iron powder and other minerals to the plant from the Shokhkadambulok deposit in the Sughd region and to build an enrichment plant at this deposit," the Tajik presidential press service said. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: Interfax