In 1999 KAZAHMYS will produce 360,000 tons of copper, in 2000 - 400,000

/IRBIS, Nov.04, 99/ - According to REUTERS, which cites Vladislav Nikolaev, press secretary of KAZAHMYS, the copper corporation is going to increase refined copper production to 360,000 tons from 324,466 tons in 1998, and to 400,000 tons in 2000. Nikolaev informed, that in ten months of 1999 the Corporation has increased refined copper production to 299,000 tons compared to 266,000 tons in the similar period of 1998. In October a record volume of 33,000 tons has been produced. According to Nikolaev, an increase was stipulated, in particular, by the stable work of Irtyshsky copper smelter (East Kazakhstan), which from July has joined structure of the Corporation. "From July Irtyshsky smelter has produced 6,840 tons of blister copper. Since 1997 till jointing the Corporation the smelter practical stood idle, though in the soviet time its annual capacity made 50,000 tons a year", Nikolaev said. Apart from copper, in ten months of 1999 the Corporation has made 77,000 tons of zinc in a concentrate, 355 tons of silver, and 1,794 kg of gold in bullion. In 2000 KAZAKMYS plans to put into operation mines ь73-75 in Dzhezkazgan area with annual capacity of 2 million tons of ore per year, which will allow to produce in addition 20,000 tons of copper a year. KAZAKMYS Corporation, the largest copper producer in the country, includes in the Kazakhstan privatization program "blue chips". It was created in 1997 on the base of Dzhezkazgantsvetmet and unites a number of smelters, power station and mines. South Korean company Samsung owns 40% of the Corporation shares.