Kazakhstan has added five new deposits to its state mineral register based on geological exploration conducted in 2025, Vice Minister of Industry and Construction Iran Sharkhan announced during a government meeting on the development and digitalization of the country’s geological sector.
The newly identified deposits—Altyn-Shoko, Samombet, Studenchesky, Takyr-Kaldzhir and Kok-Zhon at the Bolattobe site—have expanded the national mineral base by approximately 98 tonnes of gold, 36,000 tonnes of copper, 11 million tonnes of manganese and more than 1.3 million tonnes of phosphorites.
Kazakhstan currently holds 103 types of mineral resources and around 10,000 deposits on the state balance. More than 2,900 licenses have been issued to subsoil users, along with 250 contracts for the development of solid minerals.
From 2026 to 2028, geologists plan to survey an additional 100,000 square kilometers, followed by annual exploration covering 30,000 square kilometers through 2030. The government has allocated 240 million tenge to form a portfolio of 20 potential investment projects, aiming to improve early-stage discovery and increase overall efficiency of geological works.
To support advanced scientific methods in exploration, the government approved the creation of a specialized laboratory within a geological cluster in Astana. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, enabling comprehensive mineral-geochemical and analytical research.
