The Government of Uzbekistan has announced the commissioning of a new foundry and rolling complex at the Uzbek steel mill Uzmetkombinat in Bekabad, marking the launch of the country's first hot-rolled steel plant.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the commissioning ceremony and stressed the importance of the project for the development of the metallurgical industry in Uzbekistan.
The first domestic hot-rolled steel sheet
According to the statement, the new foundry and rolling complex is the first enterprise in Uzbekistan capable of producing hot-rolled steel sheet. After the complex is fully commissioned, its annual production capacity will be 1 million tons of hot-rolled steel sheet, and the estimated annual production cost will be 8 trillion soums ($662.86 million).
The facility is expected to fully meet the demand for sheet steel from metallurgical plants in Tashkent and Samarkand, while creating 1,200 new jobs.
Investing in technology and productivity
The company said that the new complex has introduced energy-efficient technologies and digital solutions aimed at improving labor productivity and product quality.
President Mirziyoyev noted that Uzbekistan has attracted about $2 billion in foreign investment in the mining and metallurgical sector over the past decade, during which 31 large production facilities have been commissioned.
