Kazakhstan plans to increase production of complex ores by 12 million tons by 2019

It is expected that the state geological exploration project will provide Kazakhstan with an additional 12 million tons of polymetallic ores over 5 years. A complex ore is one in which the main valuable components are lead and zinc, and the secondary components are copper, gold, silver, cadmium, bismuth, tin, indium, gallium. Some complex ores contain barite, fluorite and sulphide ores, which are also of industrial importance.

Chairman of the Committee for Geology and Subsoil Use Nurbaev, spoke at the Congress on the exploration program in the Republic of Kazakhstan for the period 2015-2019. Within the framework of this program, a significant increase in resources of gold, copper and polymetallic ores is projected. Nurbaev noted that the estimated resources of complex ores are expected to amount to 12 million tons, including 4 million tons of copper and 400 thousand tons of gold.



According to Nurbaev, in 2010-2013, gold and foreign exchange reserves increased by 314 tons thanks to private sources of exploration and by another 11 tons through state-funded exploration. Between 2000 and 2013, $ 43 billion of budgetary funds was invested in the mining industry, $ 1.2 billion of which went to exploration.

Copper mining has been boosted by 2.3 million tonnes over the course of three years, mainly due to private exploration. Lead build-up 740,000 tons: 481,000 tons through private exploration and 259 through state exploration. Zinc reserves were increased by 1.3 million tons: by 986,000 tons from private sources and 310 due to the implementation of state exploration.