Mining - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kazakhstan Seeks U.S. Cooperation to Develop Critical Minerals

During a visit to the United States on March 1st, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Industry and Construction, Kanat Sharlapaev met David Applegate, director of the U.S. Geological Survey, to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation regarding mineral deposits in Kazakhstan. Of Kazakhstan’s 50 types of minerals, 17 were identified by the U.S. Geological Survey as critical. As reported by Sharlapaev, the key aims of future collaborations are attracting investment in geological exploration, mining, and the processing of rare and rare-earth metals, as well as facilitating Kazakhstan's integration to the global market through cutting-edge technologies and expertise. Speaking at a roundtable discussion at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with members of the Kazakh-American Business Council (USKZBC) and representatives of American companies, the minister outlined the benefits afforded by consolidating the partnership between Kazakhstan and the USA. Emphasis was placed on the strategic potential of mining rare and rare earth metals and the development of related industries. In particular, he cited the importance of creating a cluster of industries in Kazakhstan to produce raw materials for batteries, including nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium and with reference to reforms on the use of subsoil to attract investment, encouraged US mining companies to participate in forthcoming auctions in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan Mining Economy Oil & Gas Central Asia

Kazakhstan Set to Drill World’s Deepest Well

Kazakhstan plans to become the country to set a new record for the deepest well in the world. Details regarding the project were revealed by Kazakhstan's Ministry of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan, reports lsm.kz The specialized department said that the project called Eurasia is divided into three stages. The first was completed in 2022, at an expense of $5.9 million to the federal budget. Specialists then analyzed and revised all available geological and geophysical interpretations. Based on the results of the first phase, experts identified the most promising zones for further development. According to the Ministry, about $500-550 million more is needed to execute the next two stages of work. The second phase of drilling will last about three years and will be financed by investor capital. The third phase of the project will also last three years, and will be realized at the expense of private investors. At the same time, the specialized department reported that today they have not yet found an investor for the project. "Various options for attracting funds are being considered. So far, there are no specific options and amounts of funding for 2024," reported the Ministry. The Eurasia well will be 15 km deep, allowing for a more detailed study of geological sections, and assessment of the undiscovered resource potential of the Caspian Depression in the search for hydrocarbons. Currently, the world's deepest circular mine is considered to be a well in Russia at a depth of about 13 km, which is equal to the height of 15 Burj Khalifas, the Dubai skyscraper which considered to be the tallest in the world. Second place in terms of well depth is occupied by OP-11, which is also located in Russia. The depth of this is 12.3 kilometers. It was drilled in just two months and opened in January 2011, becoming the deepeat in the world at the time. In third-place is the BD-04A well in Qatar, which was drilled in May 2008 at the Al-Shaheen oil field in just 36 days. One other well worthy of mentioning is also located in Russia - the Kola ultra-deep well at 12.2 km, which was drilled back in 1970, in the days of the USSR. Initially, it was planned that the well would reach a depth of 15 km, but due to high temperatures of up to 230°C, drilling had to be stopped. Thanks to the Kola well, many pieces of unique scientific data were obtained, and the two-layer model of the Earth's crust structure was questioned. Now, the Kola ultra-deep was mothballed in 1995 due to a lack of funding.

Mining

Germany Interested in Kazakh Lithium

The German companies Knauf Gruppe, GP Günter Papenburg AG, and Roxtec, as well as the German Institute of Lithium (ITEL) have formed a consortium aimed at developing and producing lithium from deposits in Kazakhstan, the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Construction has announced, adding that the move opens up new prospects for the development of the lithium industry in the country. The initiative was discussed during a meeting in Germany between Kazakhstan’s minister of industry and construction, Kanat Sharlapaev, and Manfred Grundke, member of the supervisory board of GP Günter Papenburg AG. The parties have agreed to create a working group aimed at exploring the potential for cooperation in the field of lithium mining and use. The Ministry of Industry and Construction earlier this month said that Kazakhstan produces 19 of the 34 critical raw materials listed by the European Union. Kazakhstan also has the potential to establish a cluster for the production of battery raw materials such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium, which are essential for the production of electric vehicles.

Mining

Uzbekistan Bans Mining Non-Metallic Materials In Rivers

From May 1st Uzbekistan will introduce a permanent ban on the mining of non-metallic materials in the riverbeds of the Chirchik, Sangzor, Zarafshan, Naryn, Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya rivers. Permits to extract sand and gravel materials from river beds and other water areas will only be granted through the electronic trading platform E-Auksion. This proposal was made jointly by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change and the Ministry of Mines and Geology, and was approved by president Shavkat Mirziyoyev on January 17th. The boundaries of the areas covered by the ban will be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers. During the moratorium period there will be a tenfold increase in the fines imposed for environmental damage caused to these areas as a result of illegal extraction. These fines will be directed to the country's ecological fund. The ban prohibits the extraction of sand and gravel materials in river beds and other water areas, as well as other extraction works on other deposits located in mountainous or foothill (land) areas.

Mining

Development of Kyrgyzstan’s largest iron deposit begins

Kyrgyzstan's state enterprise Kyrgyzgeologiya will begin exploration work at the iron deposit "Zhetim Too" in the Naryn region. The country's Cabinet of Ministers granted the entity the right to use subsurface resources for geological exploration at the deposit. The development of the iron deposit was one of the election promises of the current President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov. In 2020, Japarov said he was considering paying off the state debt to China with raw materials from the deposit. "This is a project that will pull our economy out of the swamp," the future head of state had declared while campaigning before the presidential election. Geologists predict that the "Zhetim-Too" deposit could earn $200 million a year. But it's not only about earning and selling raw materials abroad. At the "People's Kurultay" (i.e., people's parliament), the President noted that at the moment, the Kyrgyz Republic spends millions of dollars a year to buy iron to build railroads, hydroelectric power plants and other structures in the country. "In the future, we intend to use our own iron ore deposits and build modern plants to process iron ore and manufacture products from it instead of buying iron from outside," Japarov said. It should be noted that earlier attempts to start work at the "Zhetim Too" deposit ended in a political scandal and high-profile dismissals of officials. At one time, various foreign mining companies worked at the deposit, which caused discontent among local residents. Rallies were repeatedly held in nearby villages. In 2012, the Kyrgyz authorities sued the Chinese company Mylin Resources for the license of the deposit. Since 2016, the license for exploration and development of the subsoil of "Zhetim Too" has belonged to the state. Kyrgyzstan's geologists have previously stated that the exploration of the deposit will take at least five years. After all, it is necessary to assess the reserves of the deposit and the depth of their occurrence, as well as to study the composition of the soil and what percentage of it contains metals. There are also issues of ecology, environmental protection and construction of necessary infrastructure. Additionally, relic forests of the Naryn Reserve are located near the deposit. "Zhetim Too" was discovered in 1956 at the junction of Naryn and Issyk-Kul oblasts of Kyrgyzstan. Iron reserves at the deposit were estimated from 3 to 10 billion tons. The Association of Mining Industries of Kyrgyzstan calls the site one of the largest iron ore deposits in the world. However, the deposit has been explored only superficially so far and requires additional exploration. The approximate cost of exploration is estimated at more than 20 million U.S. dollars.

Turkmenistan Economy Mining

Turkmenistan: Iron ore deposits discovered 3 days after criticism by the president

ASHGABAT (TCA) — At the Turkmen Government meeting on November 22, Deputy Prime Minister overseeing oil and gas Myratgeldi Meredov briefed President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov that in the course of the exploration works carried out in the country’s Balkan province, major deposits of iron ore had been discovered, independent foreign-based news website Chronicles of Turkmenistan reported. Continue reading