(Kitco News) - KAZ Minerals, the largest copper producer in Kazakhstan, reported today that its H1 2022 copper production of 180 kt increased by 20% (H1 2021: 150 kt) as the company continued to benefit from the world class ramp-up of the second sulphide concentrator at Aktogay.
According to the company's statement, Aktogay produced 104 kt of copper in the first half of 2022, a 49% increase compared with the 70 kt produced in the first half of 2021.
Management has maintained its focus on maximizing ore processed volumes, using a range of optimization measures including artificial intelligence at the Aktogay and Bozshakol sulphide plants, the company added.
Importantly, KAZ Minerals noted that the first sulphide concentrator at Aktogay achieved record volumes of ore processed in H1 2022 and Bozshakol continued to exceed design capacity at both the sulphide and clay plants.
The company's H1 2022 gold production of 85 koz increased by 2% compared with the first six months of 2021 (H1 2021: 83 koz) due to higher output at Bozshakol where throughput and grades processed improved in the period.
In H1 2022, KAZ Minerals also produced 1,732 koz of silver (H1 2021: 1,664 koz) and 19.2 kt of zinc (H1 2021: 21.8 kt).
More importantly, the company said it achieved sales in excess of production volumes for all metals, adding that its H1 2022 copper sales of 188 kt (H1 2021: 137 kt) were 4% above production as logistics constraints eased and the company sold inventory brought forward from the prior year.
CEO Andrew Southam commented, "KAZ Minerals achieved a 20% increase in copper output in the first half of the year, with the ramp-up of the second sulphide concentrator at Aktogay continuing to surpass expectations. The company has maintained its focus on optimizing operational performance enabling the first concentrator at Aktogay and both Bozshakol plants to raise ore throughput levels further above their design capacity."
KAZ Minerals is the largest copper producer in Kazakhstan. It operates the Aktogay and Bozshakol open pit copper mines in the Abay and Pavlodar regions of Kazakhstan, three underground mines and associated concentrators in the East Region of Kazakhstan and the Bozymchak copper-gold mine in Kyrgyzstan. The company also completed a Bankable Feasibility Study for the greenfield Baimskaya copper project in Russia, which it acquired in 2018.
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