Kazakh Prime
Minister Alikhan Smailov held a meeting to discuss further development of the
East Kazakhstan region, instructing the local authorities to actively involve
investors in the development of lithium deposits. According to him, there are
currently six deposits listed on the state’s balance sheet, and the region
holds even more untapped reserves. Smailov emphasized that exploration and
mining of this rare earth metal is promising in the context of the growing
electric vehicle production. Major consumers of lithium include China and other
Asian markets. It bears noting that to date, the mining and metallurgical
complex presently accounts for about 70 percent of the entire regional industry.
Investors will help to further unlock the potential. Additionally, there are
plans to modernize the mining sector management system. Furthermore, focus can
be directed toward the development of transport and logistics routes due to the
region’s favorable geographical location. Projects are already underway for the
reconstruction of highways ‘Taldykorgan-Kalbatau-Oskemen’, spanning 768
kilometers, and ‘Maikapchagai-Kalbatau’, covering 415 kilometers, aimed at
increasing throughput capacity. In the future, there are plans to reconstruct
the Oskemen-Semei and Oskemen-Russian border routes.
