New industrial zones will appear
in Kazakhstan’s single-industry towns, with plans to attract 100 billion tenge
of investments to Ekibastuz, set to launch plants for the production of steel,
ferroalloys, and iron. Apart from the metallurgical industry, plans are
underway for the expansion of the railway sector in the city, with a forging
and banding complex project already put in place, securing 75 billion tenge in
investments. Alongside development of single-industry towns, today’s government meeting concluded with a decision
to legislate the creation of SME belts around large enterprises, resulting in
long-term off-take contracts. At present, 20 long-term contracts and 13
off-take agreements worth almost 72 billion tenge have been signed between
large customers and domestic manufacturers, with plans to double this figure by
year-end. About 63 billion tenge will be allocated for the development of single-industry
towns this year.
“Kazakhstan has 20
single-industry towns with a population of 1.4 million people. By the end of
2023, these towns contributed 40 percent to the country’s industrial output. Overall,
there are 23 town-forming enterprises operating in the oil and gas, coal,
bauxite, and iron ore sectors. Their stable operation positively impacts the
socio-economic development of the single-industry towns,” said Kazakh Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Nurlan Baibazarov.
Geological explorations near
these towns, aimed at attracting additional investments for their development,
have unveiled resources valued at over one trillion tenge. According to
scientists, the most promising areas are near the towns of Abai, Kurchatov,
Balkhash, and Altai.
