GRK Metallinvest LLP is set to begin developing the Ansai barite deposit located in the Turkestan region of Kazakhstan. The company has invested around 12 billion tenge in the initiation of the project, reported the regional akimat press service. Ground reserves of barite at Ansai were estimated to be 7 million tons.
Metalloinvest’s plans involve open–pit mining of this mineral from the sulfate class and the construction of an enrichment complex with a capacity of 250 thousand tons of natural barium sulfate near the city of Kentau. The press service of the akimat highlighted that barite concentrate is in high demand in the market of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Main consumers of the concentrate include oil and gas companies, as well as other industrial enterprises such as chemical, construction, paint, and varnish. GRK Metallinvest LLP aims to not only fulfil the domestic market’s needs but also to export products abroad. The project is expected to launch in 2024, and the authorities of the region believe that the new enterprise will provide jobs for the former miners of Kentau.