MINEX Forum

Tag: ferrochrome

  • Kazakh Exporters Face Rising Costs Under EU Carbon Border Mechanism

    Kazakh Exporters Face Rising Costs Under EU Carbon Border Mechanism

    The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which came into force in 2026, is creating new compliance challenges for Kazakh металлургical exporters supplying the European market.

    CBAM is designed to account for carbon dioxide emissions generated during the production of imported goods and serves as an environmental standard for both European and foreign manufacturers. Kazakh exporters are now required to maintain detailed carbon reporting in order to preserve access to EU markets.

    More than half of Kazakhstan’s aluminum exports are destined for the European Union. In addition to the aluminum sector, the new rules also apply to ferrous metallurgy products.

    Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade and Integration, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and QazTrade conducted an assessment of CBAM’s impact on local businesses and prepared practical recommendations for metallurgical companies adapting to the new framework.

    According to the study, exporters of raw aluminum, ferrochrome, steel bars and rods could face annual CBAM-related costs of around €114 million if export volumes remain at 2025 levels.

    QazTrade Deputy Chairman Nurlan Kulbatyrov said Kazakh industrial exporters have already begun adapting to the new EU requirements. Support measures are being introduced to help companies reduce financial pressure and maintain the competitiveness of Kazakh products in the European market.

    During a June 3 seminar, representatives of business, government and international organizations discussed methods for monitoring and verifying emissions, as well as opportunities linked to greener industrial production.

    One of the report’s authors, ITC expert Joost Pauwelyn, noted that Kazakhstan exports more than €600 million worth of steel and aluminum products to the EU annually. He warned that European greenhouse gas regulations could increase annual costs for Kazakh exporters by more than €100 million. Approximately 90% of the additional burden is expected to fall on steel bars and rods. In some cases, CBAM-related expenses could exceed the value of the exported product itself.

    Pauwelyn outlined several measures that could significantly reduce the financial impact on producers, including:

    • Monitoring and declaring actual emissions rather than relying on default values
    • Accrediting Kazakh verification bodies
    • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions at production facilities
    • Developing domestic carbon pricing mechanisms in Kazakhstan
  • Kazakhstan’s Kazchrome Earns International Environmental Declaration for High-Carbon Ferrochrome Production

    Kazakhstan’s Kazchrome Earns International Environmental Declaration for High-Carbon Ferrochrome Production

    Kazchrome, the ferrochrome producer owned by Eurasian Resources Group, has obtained an international Environmental Product Declaration for its high-carbon ferrochrome, following an independent lifecycle assessment conducted by global inspection and certification firm SGS.

    The declaration confirms that Kazchrome’s ferrochrome meets rigorous international environmental standards across every stage of its production cycle, from raw material extraction through to end-of-life disposal. The assessment covered a comprehensive range of factors including mining, transportation and preparation of raw materials, water and energy consumption, and the ratio of primary to secondary inputs used in production.

    SGS’s ecology business manager for Kazakhstan and the Caspian subregion, IlyaKorlyakov, said the declaration goes beyond simply measuring a product’s environmental and carbon footprint — it signals a company’s commitment to continuous improvement in production processes in order to reduce its overall environmental burden. In an era of tightening carbon requirements and growing green economy pressures, he said, holding an EPD has become a meaningful competitive advantage in international markets.

    Kazchrome said its use of modern beneficiation, extraction and recycling technologies enables more efficient use of natural resources, reducing dependence on primary raw materials, cutting its carbon footprint and minimising the volume of waste sent to tailings dumps.

    The EPD positions Kazchrome to better meet the procurement and sustainability requirements of international buyers, particularly in Europe, where regulatory pressure on supply chain emissions is intensifying under frameworks such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

  • 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.

  • ERG Opens Pioneering Solar-Powered School in Kazakhstan as Part of KZT15 Billion Education Drive

    ERG Opens Pioneering Solar-Powered School in Kazakhstan as Part of KZT15 Billion Education Drive

    The KZT7.8 billion (£13.7 million) school, which can accommodate 1,200 students, is part of ERG’s “ERG mektep” (“ERG for Schools”) programme. This initiative has channelled over KZT15 billion into education in Kazakhstan in recent years.

    The new building, spanning over 19,590 square meters, is one of the largest constructed under the state-led Keleshek Mektepteri (“Schools of the Future”) initiative. It incorporates modern features focusing on ergonomics, inclusivity, and energy efficiency. The school also features advanced security systems integrated with artificial intelligence.

    Shukhrat Ibragimov, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of ERG, expressed pride in the project’s inclusion in the national initiative. He quoted Kanysh Satbayev, a prominent Kazakh scientist, stating, “The future belongs to young people. But in order to be prepared for this future, they need to be equipped with knowledge.”

    The school boasts 60 classrooms, four computer labs, a STEM laboratory, a robotics room, and language labs. It also includes hydroponic systems for biology and ecology studies and a media centre with a podcast studio. Digital assistants will assist teachers, providing tailored learning tasks for students.

    A key feature of the design is its focus on inclusivity, with accessible classrooms and special elevators to accommodate students with special educational needs. The Akim of the Kostanay Region, Mr Kumar Aksakalov, praised the collaboration between government and business, stating the school “meets all modern requirements” and will “become a solid foundation for fostering honesty, hard work, patriotism and civic responsibility among the younger generation.”

    In a joint programme with the Teach for Qazaqstan foundation, four specialist STEM teachers will join the new school to strengthen technical education. ERG has a history of supporting educational infrastructure in the country, having previously funded similar projects in the Pavlodar Region and modernisations in Aksu and Khromtau.