Key Development Projects

Over the past three years Kazchrome has made significant investments to increase production capacity, efficiency and reliability, as well as to repair and conduct maintenance of existing operations. Kazchrome continues to execute a robust operational improvement plan encompassing more than 180 initiatives. The Group is implementing major projects at the Aksu and Aktobe Ferroalloys Plants and at Donskoy GOK in order to further increase production volumes and develop the respective mineral resource base.

Recent key business development initiatives include the construction of Workshop No. 4 at Aktobe, the reconstruction of Workshop No. 6 at Aksu, the launch of the ERG Green beneficiation plant, and the commissioning of a new mine at Donskoy GOK.

In August 2023, the slime processing plant of the Donskoy Mining and Processing Plant was launched. Each year, the plant will process about 1.7 million tons of permanently generated waste and, importantly, previously accumulated slime.

The new plant meets all international technology and automation standards. Slime is processed here using gravity concentration method. This method has never been used anywhere else in the world for extraction of chromium oxide from this type of raw materials.

Total investment in the plant amounted to 96 billion tenge. The project is financed with the participation of Kazakhstan Development Bank JSC.

The ERG Green beneficiation plant is one of four projects of the large-scale program for processing of waste slime at the Donskoy Mining and Processing Plant. The project will result in processing of 14.5 million tons of historically accumulated waste.

Aktobe Workshop #4 is the world’s first large scale plant with closed DC electric furnaces. An innovative production facility, it was commissioned for construction in 2009 with first production achieved in 2014. One of the main objectives in commissioning the plant was to smelt fines without the need for a separate agglomeration phase, reducing both ongoing capital expenditures and operating costs.

The operation consists of furnaces and its own infrastructure (driveways, a shop for unloading and preparing burden material, a smelting shop, a ferrochrome crushing and fractionating plant, slag casting facilities, a processing shop, and gas cleaning facilities).

The plant is unrivalled in terms of its installed capacity and applied technologies.

The goal of the reconstruction project is to overhaul four existing furnaces in Workshop No. 6 at Aksu Ferroalloy Plant in order to boost the production of high-carbon ferrochrome, reduce operational costs, and extend the workshop's lifespan.

The renovation process began with the dismantling of Furnace No. 64 to create a new-generation unit. Designed to be hermetically sealed, the unit captures all released ferroalloy gases, which are then partially recycled to heat the charge, resulting in a 25% reduction in electricity consumption. Thanks to advanced gas purification systems, emissions will be minimized, while furnace capacity will increase, boosting productivity by one third. Furthermore, the technological process will be highly automated, ensuring enhanced operational efficiency.

Safety and comfort are key considerations in the design, with the renovation providing safer working conditions for metallurgists. The new Furnace No. 64 was launched in 2019, and adjustments to its systems are ongoing. The technologies implemented in this furnace will be gradually applied to the other three furnaces in the workshop.

The Bolashak mine at Donskoy GOK began operations in late 2024, with an annual capacity of up to 7.5 million tons of chrome ore. The mine involves the development of two deposits—Millionnoye and Almaz-Zhemchuzhina—and is now one of the deepest in the world for ferrous metal extraction. Mining activities are conducted across five underground levels, with depths ranging from 800 to 1,200 meters.

To support ore extraction, the mine uses advanced, high-performance smart drilling rigs with automatic drilling programs that can be remotely controlled from the surface. Additionally, a fully automated hoisting system has been introduced, eliminating the need for operator supervision. These innovations significantly enhance both safety and productivity, creating a more efficient and secure working environment for all employees.