Sary-Bulak and Chatkal Restart Programme

The Sary-Bulak and Chatkal Restart Programme is a programme announced in October 2026 to bring idle lines of the antimony industry of the Irad Special Economic Zone (ISEZ) back into use, at the Sary-Bulak Antimony Works and the Chatkal Chemical Smelting Complex in Sary-Bulak District. It is run by the Iradi Antimony and Rare Metals Combine (IARMC) with the ISEZ government and two private partners, whose names had not been published by the end of October 2026. Its first stage is to cost 168 million som (about US$20 million) and create about 420 permanent posts.^[1]

Announcement

Lieutenant Governor Aidar Maksat announced the programme on 12 October 2026 in a speech to the labour collective at Sary-Bulak. The same day the Ministry of Natural Resources, headed by Chingiz Asanov, issued a notice that put the programme at about 600 jobs and US$25 million; the combine's lower figures exclude contractors.^[1][2] The plan followed the rise in world antimony prices after China restricted its exports in 2024, and the press noted that the staff of the Sary-Bulak processing works had fallen from 1,860 in 2019 to 310 in 2025. The combine says most of those workers moved to the mine or to the Chatkal Antimony Processing Mill.^[1][3]

First stage

The first stage restarts plant that has stood idle:^[1]

• the No. 1 crushing section at Sary-Bulak, with trial running from December 2026;
• a flotation section at Sary-Bulak and trioxide shop No. 2 at Chatkal, in the spring of 2027;
• the relining of furnace No. 3 at Chatkal, in the second half of 2027;
• the reopening of the 39-kilometer Sary-Bulak rail spur in the spring of 2027, after repairs. Irad Temir Jolu scheduled an inspection of the spur for 4–6 November 2026 and put its reinstatement out to tender.^[4]

The small mercury recovery unit at Chatkal, idle since 2019, will restart only after a new permit and a public hearing, set for 26 November 2026 at the house of culture in Rudnik, with written comments accepted until 10 December.^[1]

Funding

Of the 168 million som, the ISEZ government is to pay 54 million for a power line to the mine, repairs to the spur and sidings, and a retraining fund; this sum is in the draft 2027 budget. The two partners, described as a buyer and a supplier, are to provide 114 million som in equipment, refractories and reagents against long-term supply contracts, and are to take no shares in the combine. The combine said they would be named at signing, expected before the end of 2026. Their agreements need the government's approval, and go to the budget committee of the Mejlis before any payment is made.^[1] On 15 October 2026 the Irad Times reported that two companies apparently lined up as the partners shared an address and a director with a subsidiary of Trans-Chuy Freight & Logistics; Attelkom blocked the newspaper's website in Irad the same evening.^[3]

Recruitment

Recruitment opened on 26 October 2026, with priority for applicants from the Lower Naryn and Chu districts and company buses to the works.^[1]

Second stage

The second stage, the Sary-Bulak Deep Levels Restart, was approved by the combine's Supervisory Board on 4 September 2025. It would deepen the Central incline and reopen old levels of both shafts at Sary-Bulak, where most of the remaining resources lie below about 750 meters, and is not expected to begin before 2028.^[1]

See also

• Antimony Mining in Irad
• Sary-Bulak Antimony Works
• Chatkal Chemical Smelting Complex

References

1. ^ Iradi Antimony and Rare Metals Combine (2026). 'Restart Programme.' iarmc.com. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
2. ^ Ministry of Natural Resources (12 October 2026). Notice on the restart of the Sary-Bulak and Chatkal works. Talas.
3. ^ Irad Times (15 October 2026). 'Sary-Bulak's unnamed partners share an address, and a director, with a Trans-Chuy company.' Talas. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
4. ^ Irad Temir Jolu (2026). 'Notice No. 39-G: Sary-Bulak spur, track inspection, 4 to 6 November.' railways.iradgov.org. Retrieved 30 October 2026.