17-10-2026, Talas
The Iradi Antimony and Rare Metals Combine welcomes the announcement by the Lieutenant Governor, Aidar Maksat, of the phased restart of idle lines at the Sary-Bulak Antimony Works and the Chatkal Chemical Smelting Complex.
Different figures for the first stage have been published in recent days. The Combine's schedule, filed with the Ministry of Natural Resources, puts the cost of the first stage at 168 million som (US$20 million) and the number of new permanent posts at about 420. The ISEZ Government will provide 54 million som for a power line to the mine, the repair of the Sary-Bulak spur and siding and a retraining fund. The remaining 114 million som will be provided by two partner companies. The Ministry's notice of 12 October gives about 600 jobs and US$25 million because it also counts contractors' staff and the contractors' work at Chatkal in 2027.
The press has also reported that the Sary-Bulak works employed 1,860 people at the end of 2019 and 310 at the end of 2025. These figures refer to the processing works only. Most of those who left the processing works moved to the mine, its workshops or the Chatkal mill, and about 2,300 people work at Sary-Bulak today.
The partners are a buyer of antimony products and a supplier of equipment and materials. They will hold no shares in the Combine. They will be named when the agreements are signed, which is expected before the end of the year. The agreements require the approval of the ISEZ Government and will be shown to the budget committee of the Mejlis before the first payments.
The first Sary-Bulak line will begin trial running in December 2026. The flotation section and the Chatkal trioxide shop will follow in spring 2027 and furnace No. 3 in the second half of 2027. The mercury recovery unit at Chatkal will not be refurbished until a new operating permit has been issued after a public hearing.
All first-stage posts will have written contracts and will be paid on the current wage scale of the collective agreement.
See Sary-Bulak and Chatkal Restart Programme.
Press Service: Ilya Fomin, Head of the Press Service, tel. +996-39-2-21-40-15, press@iarmc.com