ASTANA – Global metals and mining company Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with China Tianchen Engineering Corporation to build a ferroalloy-gas utilization facility in Kazakhstan, ERG reported on April 30.
ERG Group CEO Shukhrat Ibragimov and ERG Kazakhstan CEO Serik Shakhazhanov during the recent visit to inaugural wind power plant in Khromtau, Kazakhstan. Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The Astana Times.
The 80-megawatt plant will be integrated into the smelting shop four of the Aktobe Ferroalloy Plant, converting a by-product that is usually lost to flaring into round-the-clock electricity. The facility is expected to redirect over 600,000 cubic meters of gas annually, eliminating flaring and sharply reducing emissions.
ERG has allocated $92 million for the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2026 and is expected to create new permanent jobs.
“It will be the first such production facility in Kazakhstan and one of the few in Eurasia,” said ERG Group CEO Shukhrat Ibragimov.
The initiative also secures self-generated power that places ERG’s subsidiary Kazchrome, one of the world’s largest ferroalloy producers, on a clear path to support the achievement of the country’s carbon-neutral target.
“When commissioned, this utilization facility – alongside renewable output from the Group’s first wind farm in nearby Khromtau, which is due to reach full capacity already this year – will make our chrome greener,” added General Director of ERG Kazakhstan Serik Shakhazhanov. “This project also aligns with the nation’s decarbonization agenda.”
Founded in 1953, China Tianchen Engineering Corporation brings global experience from projects in 30 countries. Ranked among the world’s top contractors and design firms by Engineering News-Record, the corporation will provide engineering design, equipment and commissioning expertise for the facility.
Smelting shop four, one of the region’s largest industrial investments, has already benefited from more than $28 million in upgrades since 2021, including automated gas-cleaning systems that have cut environmental impact by 30%. Once operational, the new unit will supply most of the shop’s electricity demand, reducing reliance on the grid and stabilizing energy costs.
