On November 13, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held a government meeting on the development of the industry of rare and rare earth metals.
Kazakhstan is home to one of the world’s three full-cycle plants for the production of beryllium and scandium, and one of the world’s four tantalum and niobium production facilities.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Construction, the country’s metallurgical plants extract bismuth, antimony, selenium and telluride, and there is a technology to produce gallium from alumina and indium from polymetallic raw materials. In November this year, production of tungsten concentrate was launched at Boguty deposit in Almaty region.
The meeting reviewed the development of sectors for the production of battery materials, permanent magnets, recycling and production of heat-resistant alloys. For example, at one of the world’s largest deposits, Sarytogan, it is planned to produce graphite concentrate with upgrading to finished products. Since 2024, Kazakhstan has been producing manganese sulphate monohydrate, which covers 5% of the global market. Projects are also being implemented to develop lithium deposits by German company Bergbau AG, and the Korean institute KIGAM is conducting geological and geophysical studies of lithium in the East Kazakhstan region. At the same time, it is planned to set up production of heat-resistant nickel alloys, which make up to 50 percent of the cost of jet aircraft engines, based on rhenium, tantalum, tungsten, nickel and cobalt.
Bektenov noted the potential of Kazakh companies to conduct geological exploration to further attract investment. This approach will expand Kazakhstan’s share in the world production of rare and rare earth metals. The Prime Minister emphasised that the Government will support domestic research institutes and manufacturers.