Posted on 27 Dec 2023
Kazakhstan plans to build a new ferroalloy smelter in Ekibastuz, with 80,000 tonnes/year of ferrosilicon capacity, Kallanish notes. Commissioning is expected in 2025.
Product will also be exported, including to Japan, South Korea, the USA, Turkey and Europe.
In 2022, Kazakhstan’s Fincraft Resources and Indian holding Monnet Group began work on a project to construct a ferroalloy plant in the Taraz industrial park in Kazakhstan (see Kallanish passim). The design capacity will be 100,000 t/y. Total investment in the project is $125 million. The joint venture has been named TB Alloys Kazakh Ltd.
The timeline of the project has not been specified. At present, the Indian side is conducting pre-project work. In the first stage, the metallurgical enterprise will produce up to 50,000 t/y of ferroalloys. Product will be supplied both to the domestic market of Kazakhstan and to neighbouring countries.
Kazakhstan’s steelmakers decreased ferroalloy production in November by 15% compared to October and by 4% on-year to 165,350t. In January-November, output fell 3% on-year to 1.86 million tonnes.
Previously, an investor named QazSpetsSteel LLP was reported to be planning to spend $587m on building an 800,000 t/y capacity billet plant in Aktobe, Kazakhstan (see Kallanish passim). The plant will utilise local iron ore and ferroalloy resources, thereby completely removing dependence on foreign suppliers of billet and rebar.
Earlier this month, ArcelorMittal completed the sale of its Kazakhstan-based Temirtau steel and mining operation to the Qazaqstan Investment Corporation (QIC), a state-controlled direct investment fund (see Kallanish passim).
Ownership will later be transferred to the new investor, Qazaqstan Steel Group and its founder Andrey Lavrentiev. ArcelorMittal Temirtau has been renamed Qarmet.
Source:Kallanish
