The number of foreign investors
interested in conducting geological exploration in Kazakhstan is increasing.
This is evidenced by the international mining and exploration forum in Astana,
which brought together more than 450 industry experts and businesspeople from
32 countries. The majority of the participants are foreigners, representing
companies from Europe, Central Asia, North and Latin America, Southeast Asia,
Africa, the Middle East, and the U.S. All of them are interested in the
exploration and development of metal deposits in the country, including rare
earth metals.
“This year, five large strategic
investors have participated in the forum. These are investors from Australia,
Europe, Canada, and the U.S. We are also expecting investors from Malaysia and
other countries to join. Kazakhstan is a vast mineral resource base that has
hardly been explored since the 1970s. Only about 30 percent of Kazakhstan’s
territory has been studied, and what lies beneath the ground and what projects
can be implemented there remain unknown until investments are made in
geological exploration work. Therefore, what Kazakhstan currently offers, as
well as all Central Asian countries, is an entry into geological exploration
work,” said Arthur Poliakov, executive chairman at the mining and exploration
forum.
“We here in Kazakhstan mostly at
the moment for exploration but we also intend to develop strategic
partnerships, evaluate projects across the mining value chain whether that be
producing mines, tailing reprocessing or other opportunities. Right now, we
have two joint venture projects where we are exploring through a number of deep
areas in Kazakhstan,” said James Banyard, manager at the mining company in
Canada.
Web-editor: Aizhan
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