BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 18. A consortium of
companies from the China National Chemical Engineering Company
(CNCEC) group will build a new sulfuric acid plant at Kazakhmys'
Zhezkazgan copper smelter in Kazakhstan, the company's press
service said.
Meanwhile, Kazakhmys and the CNCEC consortium have signed an
agreement for the implementation of the project. The EPC contract
is valued at $213.76 million.
"The need to build a new plant is linked to the large-scale
modernization of the Zhezkazgan copper smelter and the transition
to modern environmental standards. The existing metallurgical gas
utilization infrastructure was commissioned in the 1970s and now
requires significant technological upgrades," the company said.
According to the information, the project includes the
construction of a new sulfuric acid production facility and
modernization of the process gas capture and purification system.
The upgrades will include converter enclosures, modern cooling
towers, electrostatic precipitators and other gas-cleaning
equipment.
The new system will also be equipped with modern automation and
process control technologies.
Following completion of the project, the process gas capture
rate is expected to reach 99%, while the residual sulfur dioxide
concentration in treated gases will comply with the requirements of
the international Best Available Techniques Reference Documents
(BREF).
The project is expected to significantly reduce SO₂ emissions
and the environmental impact of the Zhezkazgan smelter.
The new plant will have a designed production capacity of
350,000 tons of sulfuric acid per year and will be capable of
processing up to 300,000 normal cubic meters of process gases per
hour.
Commissioning is preliminarily scheduled for 2028. Full-scale
mobilization and preparatory work at the production site are
expected to begin by the end of 2026, while construction and
installation works are planned to take around 29 months.
The new sulfuric acid plant is part of Kazakhmys' long-term
modernization program for the Zhezkazgan copper smelter. The
project is expected to improve the reliability of the gas
purification system, bring the facility in line with modern
environmental requirements, and support the long-term operation of
the smelter.
Kazakhmys Group is a vertically integrated company with core
assets in mining and non-ferrous metallurgy.
According to the company's website, Kazakhmys ranks 20th
globally in terms of copper-in-concentrate production, with 271,000
tons, and 12th in blister and cathode copper production, with
377,000 tons and 365,000 tons, respectively, including tolling
feedstock.
