Uzbek president orders launch of system for monitoring scrap metal turnover from Aug 1

TASHKENT. July 13 (Interfax) - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has ordered the launch of the electronic platform E-lom for monitoring the turnover of ferrous metals and the creation of a government design office to regulate the metallurgical resource market from August 1, the presidential press service said after a meeting on the development of ferrous metallurgy held at JSC Uzmetkombinat.

Some 500,000 tonnes of metal remain in the shadow sector despite annual supplies to the Uzbek Metallurgical Plant of some 700,000 tonnes of scrap metal, Mirziyoyev said.

In this regard, all transactions with scrap ferrous metal will be tracked in real time via an electronic platform. The government design office will develop a competitive environment, ensure stable prices and improve monitoring mechanisms in the industry.

It was stated in the meeting that Uzbekistan's need for metal products had tripled, reaching up to 5.5 million tonnes a year, over the past ten years. According to authorities' estimations, the demand will exceed eight million tonnes by 2030 due to the implementation of large industrial and infrastructure projects.

The president ordered the development of the iron ore deposits Tebinbulak and Surun-ota be sped up and an agreement on the annual supply of 700,000 tonnes of iron ore from the Tajik Metallurgical Plant be finalized.

Furthermore, a specialized company for the centralized import of metallurgical raw materials will be created to supply some 150 medium-sized and small metallurgical enterprises. It is planned to allocate $200 million for this purpose, and the imported raw materials will be sold solely through exchange trading.

The president also ordered the preparation of projects to produce seamless pipes, cold-rolled mill products, development of 3D printing technologies and technologies for high-precision metal processing, and also the formation of a program of cooperation projects worth $100 million around the country's large metallurgical enterprises.

Mirziyoyev also launched the work of a new casting and rolling facility during a visit to Uzmetkombinat in the city of Bekabad.

The Uzbek Metallurgical Plant is one of the largest and Uzbekistan's only producer of rolled steel and grinding balls. The enterprise's primary raw materials are now scrap metal and ferrous metal waste. The implementation of new projects is aimed at a gradual transition to the use of domestic iron ore and expanding the production of high-value-added products.