On July 13, at a meeting in Bekabad, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced plans to launch the E-lom electronic platform on August 1 to control the circulation of ferrous metals.
Over the past decade, the country's demand for steel sheets, rolled products, pipes, and metal structures has tripled, reaching 5.5 million tons. The new nuclear power plant, the fourth copper enrichment factory, and the new copper smelter alone will require about 2.5 million tons of steel sheets and reinforcement.
In the next five years, new capacities worth $180 billion are to be commissioned, infrastructure projects worth $27 billion implemented, and 800,000 apartments in multi-story buildings built. As a result, the annual demand for metal products will increase 1.5 times by 2030, exceeding 8 million tons.
The head of state instructed officials to make clear calculations on how these needs will be met from existing capacities. The meeting noted that ferrous metallurgy is one of the main raw material sources for economic sectors totaling $50 billion, including construction, building materials, automotive, mechanical engineering, energy, and electrical engineering.
At the same time, shortcomings were highlighted: import dependence, high costs and energy consumption, and insufficient results in digitalization and artificial intelligence implementation.
The president paid special attention to the scrap metal market. Currently, the Bekabad Metallurgical Plant produces 40% of rolled metal from secondary metal and 60% from imports. Although 700,000 tons of ferrous scrap are delivered to the plant annually, another 500,000 tons remain in the shadow economy.
Therefore, all processes related to ferrous metal circulation will be monitored in real time via the electronic platform. Officials were tasked with launching the E-lom platform on August 1 and taking control of ferrous metal circulation.
Additionally, to ensure healthy competition and price stability in the ferrous metallurgy industry and to establish effective control mechanisms, a separate project office will be created within the government. This office will conduct daily analysis of the metal products market, shape supply and demand for raw materials and finished products, and maintain a digital passport reflecting product quality, origin, physical and chemical composition.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev ordered the project office to be operational within a month.
Today, July 13, during his visit to Bekabad, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the launch ceremony of the casting and rolling complex of Uzmetkombinat. This is the first project in Uzbekistan for the production of hot-rolled steel sheets.
Source: www.gazeta.uz