The project for the development of the Nura-Taldy field, the license for which is held by Ressource PV LLP, was criticized by residents of the Nurataldinsky rural district. The local population is sounding the alarm that beryllium mining will negatively affect the environment and health of villagers, reports the 24KZ channel .
The deposit is located in close proximity to a rural district, and some of the houses are included in the sanitary protection zone. Public hearings on the project took place in the summer of 2023, but local residents note that they were not aware of the meeting. Most of the district’s population is engaged in livestock farming. Citizens believe that they may lose pastures if the field is launched.
Ressource PV plans to open-pit mine beryllium ores for 10 years. According to estimates, the on-balance reserves of Nura-Talda amount to over 4.39 million tons of ore, off-balance reserves – 432.9 thousand tons. The average metal content in ore is 0.19%.
The authorities say that the development of the deposit is of key importance both for the production of rare metals in the Republic of Kazakhstan and for the development of the region. The project should reduce the dependence of the Ulba Metallurgical Plant on imported beryllium, which will be engaged in the enrichment of raw materials mined at Nura-Taldy.
The subsoil user is ready to resettle some of the villagers and promises to comply with all environmental requirements, in particular regarding the number of emissions standards. They want to start the project in two years, but now the company will need to reach an agreement with the local population.
