Balkhash celebrated one of its main professional holidays — Metallurgist Day. More than six thousand residents work in the industry, many continuing family dynasties. During the ceremony, top employees received state and industry awards, while regional leadership and the Kazakhmys corporation announced new production and social projects, reports infohub.kz.

In the first half of 2026 alone, the Balkhash Copper Smelter produced over 96,000 tons of cathode copper.

Akim of Karaganda region Yermaganbet Bulekpayev arrived to congratulate the workers. He noted that the labor of metallurgists remains a key pillar of the region's economy.

“President of Kazakhstan Qasym-Jomart Toqaev has repeatedly emphasized that working people should enjoy special respect in society. These words fully apply to metallurgists. Thanks to your professionalism, Karaganda region retains leading positions in the country's industry,” Bulekpayev said.

According to him, in 2025 the region's industrial output exceeded 5.3 trillion tenge, of which about 3.8 trillion came from manufacturing.

The governor also highlighted the contribution of labor dynasties, citing the Akbergenov family, whose combined experience in metallurgy has exceeded one hundred years.

During the ceremony, top workers received the “Enbek Dany” and “Kurmetty Metallurg” badges and the “Enbek Ardageri” medal.

Chairman of the Board of Kazakhmys Corporation LLP Ruslan Üskenäli spoke about the development of the Balkhash production site. According to him, the company's main priorities remain employee safety and production modernization.

“In the first half of the year, the Balkhash Copper Smelter produced over 96,000 tons of cathode copper. Behind this figure is the daily work of thousands of employees. Today we are renewing production infrastructure, modernizing equipment, improving working conditions, and developing social programs,” he said.

Currently, the plant is undergoing major repairs of smelting units PV-1 and PV-2, updating roofs of production buildings and the stormwater drainage system, and installing modern air conditioning systems.

By the end of the year, the Balkhash production site will receive two new ambulances worth a total of over 166 million tenge. In addition, under the corporate “Hygiene” program, 24 social and welfare facilities are planned to be modernized in 2026. The company will allocate 754 million tenge for these purposes.

Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Kazakhmys Corporation LLP Nurmukhambet Abdibekov spoke about the company's social projects.

According to him, the company invests not only in production but also in the development of cities where its enterprises operate.

“The total portfolio of social and infrastructure projects of Kazakhmys amounts to about 45 billion tenge. In Balkhash, in the coming years, we plan to build a modern kindergarten and a sports and tourism base. This is a contribution not only to the city's development but also to the quality of life of our employees and their families,” said Nurmukhambet Abdibekov.

The festive events in Balkhash will continue with a festival, sports competitions, a concert program, and fireworks.