Metallurgy, machine building, fuel and energy, construction and agribusiness complexes are the main industries which determine the development of the region.
Metallurgy complex is strength and glory of the Ural industry. Nowadays the region has all the conditions for successful development of metallurgical enterprises - great scientific and industrial potential to produce practically the whole range of output, qualified personnel, and demand for metallurgical products in home and outer markets. These factors allow metallurgical companies to increase production volume.
50% of industrial and production assets, 30% of all industrial personnel are concentrated in the metallurgy complex. Metallurgical enterprises provide about 30% of all tax revenues in the Chelyabinsk region.
Such metallurgical enterprises located in the region as OJSC “Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works”, OJSC “Zlatoust Metallurgical Plant”, OJSC “Asha Metallurgical Plant”, CJSC “Karabashcopper”, OJSC “Urals Stampings Plant” and others are city-forming; their successful business influences the volume of revenues in the local and regional budgets, economic and social welfare - employment rate and income rate of the population.
In order to become more competitive in the world market and sort out the most important industrial problems metallurgical enterprises of the South Urals search for integration, consolidation of assets in the regional industry. Integration of enterprises leads to increase of managerial efficiency, optimization of industrial processes, accumulation of investment resources for implementation of large projects which provide a quicker and maximal benefit.
Machine building complex is still attractive for investment - high intellectual potential of engineers, skilled personnel, production facilities provide the opportunity to implement various projects, besides, multipurpose equipment can be used not only for machine building production.
Machine building enterprises produce over 10% of the regional industrial output. The leading companies of this sector are LLC “Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant “Uraltrac”, CJSC “Chelyabinsk Construction and Road Machinery”, OJSC “Kopeysk Machine Building Plant”, OJSC “Chelyabinsk Mechanical Plant”, OJSC “Ural” Automobile Plant”, OJSC “Chelyabinsk Forge-and-Press Plant”, Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Ust-Katav Car Building Plant”, OJSC “Miasselektroapparat”, OJSC “Teplopribor” Plant”, “Metran” Industrial Group, OJSC “Chelyabinsk Electrode Plant” etc.
The most important objectives of the machine building industry are: to preserve and develop technical and scientific potential, change the structure of production so as to increase the output of high value added goods, use the most valuable elements of industrial, scientific, and technological potential of defense machine building for modernization of civil machine building.
In the North-West of the region there are unique largest atomic centres (Snezhinsk and Ozyorsk cities), in the West there are centres of rocket engineering and space machinery.
Fuel and energy complex.
All electrical power in the Chelyabinsk region is produced by thermal stations. The total capacity of power stations located in the Chelyabinsk region approaches 5,000 MW. In 2007 the enterprises of the Chelyabinsk region produced 29,358.9 million kWh of electrical power, 47,703.1 thousand Gcal of thermal power.
The work of 7 electrical power stations in general use considerably influences the normal life of the region. Power stations of the region meet over 70% of the total demand of the region for electrical power.
Among thermal power stations of the Chelyabinsk region there are stations of industrial enterprises such as OJSC “Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works”, OJSC “Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Works”, OJSC “Magnesite Plant” and others. Besides that, some transport, construction and agricultural organizations have thermal power stations, too.
Among energy selling companies in the territory of the Chelyabinsk region there are OJSC “Chelyabenergosbyt”, LLC “Mechel-Energo”, LLC “Magnitogorsk Energy Company”.
The main objectives of the fuel and energy complex are efficient reformation of electrical power industry; steady work of coal industry; technical upgrading and modernization of fuel and energy complex (TEK) of the region; gasification development in industrial, electrical power engineering and public utility sectors; creation of new power generation facilities; implementation of the power saving policy and increase in usage of fuel and energy resources by means of technical and technological update of production processes followed by dramatic reduction of their energy consumption.
Mining industry.
The Chelyabinsk region is rich in various mineral resources. There are more than 300 industrial deposits of iron ore, titanomagnetite ores, copper ore, nickel, cobalt, aluminum ores, placer and ore deposits of gold.
The Chelyabinsk region is a monopolist in Russia in mining and processing of kaolin and graphite (95%), magnesite (95%), talcum (70%). Mining enterprises extract 25% of Russian zinc, 15% of copper, 15% of iron, 37% of facing stone.
Over 150 enterprises of the region are engaged in deposit development and processing of mineral raw materials and get different process stage products.
The Chelyabinsk region is the region with a high level of exploitation of mineral resources. And first of all, it concerns deposits of metals (iron, copper, zinc, nickel, gold). Less explored are deposits of non-metallic resources, namely facing and ornamental stone, chemical and ore mining raw materials (vermiculite, phosphorites, quartz sands etc.). Recycling of mining and metallurgical wastes containing many noble, rare, ferrous and non-ferrous metals in industrial concentrations is still at an initial stage; there is a problem of extraction of associated components from complex ores.
The Government of the Chelyabinsk region constantly holds contests for development of deposits of popular mineral resources including non-metallic construction materials in order to promote mining sector development and increase its output in the territory of the region.