Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine (NMMC), the world’s fourth-largest gold producer and Central Asia’s largest gold miner, has announced an ambitious investment program for 2024, targeting a total investment of $1 billion across 11 major projects. This initiative is set to significantly enhance the company’s gold production capabilities and drive innovation in the industry.
In the first half of 2024, NMMC has allocated $363.5 million towards these projects, with ongoing work across all initiatives. A highlight of the program is the “Ore Mining at Gold Deposits Kokpatas and Daugyztau (Phase III)” project, which recently achieved a key milestone. The launch of a new, seventh mill at Hydrometallurgical Plant No. 3 (HMP-3) has increased the facility’s gold-bearing ore processing capacity by 13%, raising it from 8 million tons (Mt) to 9 Mt per year.
The project, valued at $281.1 million, also includes future expansions in flotation, bio-oxidation, filtration, drying, and roasting workshops, aimed at further boosting production volumes. By the end of the year, these developments are expected to raise the annual ore processing capacity to 10 Mt.
Local manufacturing and construction played a crucial role in the project’s execution. Equipment and spare parts for the new milling block were produced at NMMC’s Navoi Machine-Building Plant and Northern Mining Administration divisions, while the Zarafshan Construction Administration handled the construction work. This approach underscores NMMC’s commitment to supporting local industries and ensuring efficient, timely project completion.
As Central Asia’s largest gold producer and the world’s fourth-largest, NMMC is a major player in the gold mining sector. The company operates in the Navoi, Samarkand, and Jizzakh regions of Uzbekistan, with 12 major mining sites, 7 hydrometallurgical plants, and 2 heap leaching workshops. Its flagship Muruntau-Myutenbai mine is the largest open-pit gold mine globally, boasting a resource base of 101 million ounces (Moz) of gold. NMMC’s total mineral resources are estimated at 148 Moz of gold.
