MINEX Forum

Tag: Aktobe region

  • Kazakhstan and China Plan $500m Chromium Processing Plant in Aktobe Region

    Kazakhstan and China Plan $500m Chromium Processing Plant in Aktobe Region

    Kazakh Invest and China’s Sichuan YinHe Chemical have agreed to establish a high-tech facility for the deep processing of chromium-bearing raw materials in Kazakhstan’s Aktobe region. The decision followed a series of negotiations and a site visit to the Chinese partner’s operations, Kazakh Invest said in a statement.

    The planned industrial complex will focus on the production of fertilizers, chemical products, metallurgical components and dietary supplements. According to preliminary estimates, the plant will have an annual output capacity of up to 200,000 tonnes, with projected yearly production valued at around $1 billion.

    Total investment in the project is estimated at approximately $500 million. The facility is expected to create more than 600 jobs and generate stable demand for locally available chromium raw materials, strengthening the region’s industrial base.

    Kazakh Invest said its analysis of the Aktobe region identified chromium and chemical-metallurgical industries as priority areas, citing significant ore reserves, export potential and favorable conditions for building a full value chain. The project is intended to increase the depth of raw material processing, shifting away from exports of semi-processed materials toward higher value-added products.

    The initiative follows earlier announcements involving another Chinese investor, Suzhou Hunan New Materials, which has proposed a $150 million project to process chromium concentrate in the Aktobe region, with plans to later add metallic chromium production.

  • Chinese investor plans ferrochrome processing project in Kazakhstan’s Aktobe region

    Chinese investor plans ferrochrome processing project in Kazakhstan’s Aktobe region

    Chinese ferrochrome producer Suzhou Hunan New Materials is planning to implement an investment project in Kazakhstan’s Aktobe region focused on the deep processing of chromite ores.

    The initiative was discussed during an official visit to Shanghai by Abzal Abdikarimov, deputy akim of the Aktobe region, who held talks with the company’s management. Following the meeting, the parties signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at establishing advanced chromite processing facilities in the region.

    The project is designed to be implemented in two stages. The first phase предусматривает construction of a chromite concentrate processing plant with an investment volume of $150 million. At the second stage, the project will expand to include processing of metallic chromium, increasing the depth of value addition.

    Representatives of Suzhou Hunan New Materials said during the talks that the company is ready to move forward with the practical implementation of the project and to continue cooperation with Kazakhstan’s national and regional authorities.

    The Aktobe region hosts the South Kempirsai chromite deposits, an area that ranks second globally in terms of confirmed chromium reserves. Most of the chromite ore mined in the region is currently processed by the Aktobe and Aksu ferroalloy plants operated by Kazchrome.

  • Eurasian Resources Group Launches Major Wind Farm in Kazakhstan

    Eurasian Resources Group Launches Major Wind Farm in Kazakhstan

    Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), a global metals and mining company headquartered in Luxembourg, has opened the Khromtau wind farm in Kazakhstan with a capacity of 150 megawatts of green energy. The project is one of the largest renewable energy facilities in Kazakhstan and Central Asia and required an investment of more than US$142 million. The wind farm is located in the Aktobe Region and includes 24 turbines. The facility will generate more than 500 million kilowatt hours of green energy annually. All in all, the facility will help reduce up to 440,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and save more than 300,000 tonnes of coal each year. The project has been implemented by ERG Capital Projects, a Group subsidiary, with financial support from the Development Bank of Kazakhstan.

    During the opening ceremony of this critical green energy project, Shukhrat Ibragimov, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ERG, said: “With its Khromtau wind power project, the Group makes a major contribution towards achieving Kazakhstan’s national goal of increasing the share of renewable energy sources. ERG is committed to ESG principles, and the new Khromtau wind power farm is a logical and very ambitious next step while implementing this. ERG’s first wind power project has already become a symbol of our transition to green energy.”

    The ESG Agenda is part of the company’s Strategy. The Group’s medium-term goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of its core products (aluminium, ferroalloys and iron ore pellets) by 30%. To achieve this, ERG is implementing projects with cumulative investments totalling US$300 million. In addition to wind power, these projects include switching the Kacharsky heating centre to gas in the Iron Ore Division, reducing steam consumption and improving the alumina production process in the Aluminium Division, and building a ferroalloy gas recycling power facility at the Aktobe Ferroalloys Plant to convert secondary energy resources into electricity.

  • Mining Company “Sary Arka” to Launch New Metal Extraction Project Next Year

    Mining Company “Sary Arka” to Launch New Metal Extraction Project Next Year

    Next year, the mining company “Sary Arka” is set to unveil a new project at the Bugetkol deposit, located in the Aytekebi District of the Aktobe Region. The company plans to extract metals through open-pit mining, working two quarries down to a depth of 35 meters. The projected capacity of the new facility is estimated at 770,000 tons of oxidized nickel-cobalt ores annually, with an average nickel content of 0.9%.

    According to the investment platform for projects in Russia and EAEU countries, the Bugetkol deposit has identified reserves of 251,200 tons of nickel and 13,700 tons of cobalt, making it a key source for exporting metal concentrates to China and other consumer nations. The platform also indicates a total investment of 41 billion rubles for the project.

    As per the project documentation, mining operations are expected to run from 2025 to 2051. In addition to the quarries, “Sary Arka” plans to build a tailings storage facility with a capacity of 7.3 million cubic meters to hold waste from a hydrometallurgical plant. The company has already applied for a loan from the Development Bank of Kazakhstan to fund the construction of a nickel sulfate plant.

    Earlier, the company KazMetalGroup announced that it also plans to launch its Dzhusalinskoe nickel-cobalt deposit in the Aktobe Region by 2025.

  • Vokshod Chrome Fined Over 2.9 Billion Tenge for Environmental Violations

    Vokshod Chrome Fined Over 2.9 Billion Tenge for Environmental Violations

    The Atyrau Regional Prosecutor’s Office has fined Vokshod Chrome more than 2.9 billion tenge after the company failed to obtain the mandatory environmental permit for its operations in 2022. According to environmental authorities, all of Vokshod Chrome’s emissions for the year were deemed illegal or excessive. In 2022, the company emitted over 52 tonnes of magnesium oxide, trivalent chromium, and inorganic dust.

    In addition to air emissions, Vokshod Chrome accumulated significant industrial waste. Over the year, the company gathered 395,000 tonnes of large-particle and slurry waste from mineral processing on its premises.

    The company attempted to appeal the administrative penalty, but the regional court upheld the decision, ruling that the fine was justified.

    According to public sources, Vokshod Chrome mines and processes chromite ore in the Khromtau district of the Aktobe region. The company supplies chromite ore and concentrates to both domestic and international markets. In 2013, it was acquired by the Turkish holding Yilmaden.

     

  • Aurora Geophysics completed a vector induced polarization survey in Aktobe region.

    Aurora Geophysics completed a vector induced polarization survey in Aktobe region.

    The survey took place in the Aktobe Region, where Aurora Geophysics measured the horizontal components of the electric field (Ex and Ey) induced by a dipole source.

    These measurements were utilized to calculate the chargeability vector and the apparent electrical resistivity vector, affirming the method’s effectiveness in detecting mineralization zones even in challenging geological conditions.

    The field survey system included measurement lines arranged orthogonally in a checkerboard pattern, with current lines positioned at an angle to the measurement lines.

    The fieldwork technology developed by Aurora Geophysics ensured high productivity. On average, 16 square kilometers of observation were conducted per working shift. The research results encompass detailed maps of geoelectrical parameters, including apparent chargeability, apparent electrical resistivity, and metal factor.

    Using this data, a generalized model of the distribution of geoelectrical parameters in the investigated area was created. This model reflects the geometry and relative position of the main structural and geological elements, indicating prospective zones of mineralization and ore-controlling structures.

    The induced polarization survey technique with vector measurements has confirmed its effectiveness both in theory and practice. This method allows for the precise identification of locations of presumed mineralization zones in complex geological conditions through the measurement of two horizontal components of the electric field and the optimization of the observation system.

    Aurora Geophysics Limited adheres to safe work practices in exploration. As part of the ongoing improvement of process management policies, HSE advisors work in constant supervision with the team. All personnel receive regular training in the following disciplines:

    1. Fire Safety Basics;
    2. Electric safety;
    3. Occupational safety and health;
    4. First aid.

    Aurora Geophysics demonstrates the ability to provide reliable data and results in geophysical research, along with the readiness to employ the full spectrum of modern geophysical methods, including the vector modification of the induced polarization method, for objects of any degree of geological complexity.

  • Shagarshinskoye iron ore deposit to be developed in Aktobe region

    Shagarshinskoye iron ore deposit to be developed in Aktobe region

    Qazaqstan Mining Company plans to start mining iron ore at the Shagarshinskoye deposit, located in the Aitekebi district of the Aktobe region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The company published the project on the Unified Ecological Portal of Kazakhstan.

    The subsoil user carried out exploration work at the site in 2019–2021. The reserves of Shagarshinsky were put on the state balance sheet in February 2023. The project documentation of the company states that 1,642 thousand tons of iron ore (742 thousand tons of iron with an average metal content in the ore of 45.2%) were classified as probable reserves, 118 thousand tons of ore (52 thousand tons iron with an average metal content of 44.07%).

    Qazaqstan Mining Company has calculated a mining plan for 2024-2031. The quarry area at the end of mining will be 7.79 hectares, depth – 77 m, bottom horizon – +180 m. The manufacturer is going to process raw materials at his own crushing and screening complex.

    In the first two years of operation of the enterprise, it is planned to build an evaporation pond on the site for the accumulation of quarry waters and their technological maintenance.