BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 2. Kazakhstan's Qarmet plans to launch a new rolling mill complex with an annual capacity of more than 540,000 tonnes by the end of 2026, according to the presidential press service.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev inspected the construction site during his visit to the company's steelworks in the Karaganda region. Chinese engineering company CERI is the project's technological partner.
Tokayev was informed that the new facility will produce high-strength A600 and A1000-grade reinforcing steel, as well as expand the product range to include angles, channels, and other steel products in demand on the market.
The complex will include a high-performance heating furnace with a capacity of up to 100 tonnes of metal per hour.
The project is expected to significantly increase Qarmet's output of long steel products, reduce dependence on imported products in the domestic market, and expand the company's opportunities in the construction sector, including the construction of nuclear power plants.
Installation of the main technological equipment and construction of supporting infrastructure are currently underway. The rolling mill complex is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2026.
During the visit, Tokayev was also briefed on the construction of new coke batteries No. 8 and No. 9, which are among Qarmet's largest investment initiatives.
The project involves the construction of new coke production facilities on a scale not seen at the steelworks for several decades. ACRE Coking & Refractory Engineering Consulting Corporation is the project's general technological partner.
The two batteries will have a combined design capacity of 1.5 million tonnes of dry coke per year. Each battery will comprise 54 coke ovens, with chambers measuring 7.6 meters in height.
Tokayev was informed that the new units will improve the reliability of blast furnace operations by ensuring a stable supply of the company's own coke, maintaining consistent coke quality, and enhancing environmental safety.
The new batteries, which will replace outdated facilities built in the 1960s and 1970s, are scheduled to be commissioned in 2027. The project will also establish Kazakhstan's first coal-chemical complex for the deep processing of coking products.
Qarmet's overall investment program amounts to $3.5 billion. Four new projects are being implemented at the company's steelworks: coke batteries No. 8 and No. 9, the rolling mill complex, a galvanizing and polymer coating line, and a casting and rolling complex.
The company's strategic goal is to increase steel production to 5 million tonnes, coal output to 9 million tonnes, and iron ore concentrate production to 5 million tonnes by 2028, while reducing costs and improving the environmental performance and competitiveness of domestic steel products.
