Kazakhstan plans to launch large-scale geological studies between 2027 and 2029 to assess the potential for industrial lithium extraction in several regions of the country, the Ministry of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan said in response to an inquiry from LS.
The programme will focus on mineralized brines, saline lake waters and salt flats located near the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea, as well as subsurface resources in the Bayankol ore district. The aim is to determine whether these areas are suitable for commercial lithium production. The work will be carried out under the state geological exploration programme, with 600 million tenge allocated from the national budget.
In parallel, geological assessment continues in Central Kalba. By 2027, specialists are expected to complete studies of areas prospective for lithium, as well as rare and rare earth metals within the Kalba–Narym zone.
According to the ministry, there is a high probability of discovering new rare metal deposits in several regions, including northern Kazakhstan’s Kokshetau rare-metal province, western Kazakhstan’s Mugodzhar province with lithium-fluorine type granites, and the southeastern part of the Chingiz–Tarbagatai rare earth metallogenic zone in eastern Kazakhstan.
The ministry also noted that lithium occurrences have already been confirmed in salt flats in the Aral Sea region and in Betpak-Dala, indicating tangible exploration potential in southern parts of the country.
