Vice-premier of Kazakhstan informed of the results of major enterprises in 2000

/IRBIS, Jan 29, 01/ - REUTERS informs, with the reference to the vice- premier, the minister of energy and mineral resources, Vladimir Shkolnik, that growth rates of all sectors of the economy in Kazakhstan exceeded those planned by the government and production volumes increased at all major enterprises of the country. Industrial output is said to have grown by 14.6% relative to 1999, whereas the planned figure was 8%, and GDP growth equaled 9.6% compared with 1.7% a year ago. He mentioned that high growth rates were observed in mining industry, metallurgical and processing industries. It was said that mining and metallurgical industries have stabilized after a 1998 crisis, and last year the commodity output equaled KZT440.8 bln, or 17.3% of GDP. Ispat-Karmet, the major (56%) producer of all ferrous metals in Kazakhstan, is said to have increased its commodity production by 18% in 2000, relative to 1999. The company plans to invest $640 mln in 2001-2004, while projected production capacity of the plant is about 6 mln tons a year. The minister said that Kazakhmys OJSC has produced a record high of 394.9 th. tons of copper last year. Also, Pavlodar aluminum plant is said to produce more than it can actually do, at more than 1 mln tons of limestone a year, and it is planned to increase it up to 1.250 mln tons. Sokolov-Sarbai mining-production combine (SSGPO), a producer of iron ore, metal rolled briquettes, overcame the crises last year and reached its project capacity of up to 12 mln tons of commodity output and up to 31 mln tons of unprocessed ore, is said. Total coal production is said to reach 74.8 mln tons in 2000, or by 28.5% more than in 1999, and this year it is expected at 7.6% of the level of last year, at 80.5 mln tons. He mentioned that open market of power has been established and was functioning well, and from April 1, 2000 a new tariffs were introduced to transmit the electricity through the KEGOC grids in order to the equalize the buying possibilities of cheap electricity from major power stations. The transit of electricity from Ekibastuz power stations to southern regions of the country the transit cost as reduced twice or more times, while for Kostanai, Taldykorgan, Almaty, and Kyzylorda regions the tariffs were reduced by 10-20%. The minister criticized the intermediaries that supply the power to South- Kazakhstan, Karagandy, and Jambyl regions, since their activities are hard to control and their charges for services are 15-30% of all tariffs. He informed that regional power stations might be privatized at open tenders including such companies as Aktiubenergo JSC, Kostanai REK JSC, Atyrau REK JSC. It was said that major importers and goods producers singed $177 mln worth of contracts on import substitution and supplied $135 mln worth of goods. For this year import substitution is to reach $300 mln, he added.