Kazakhstan to conduct geological mapping over 100,000 sq. km area
Speaking at a plenary session of the Geoscience & Exploration Central Asia 2026 forum, Kazakhstan’s Industry and Construction Minister Yersayin Nagaspayev said Central Asia is emerging as a promising region for mineral resources, as geology increasingly fuels the surge in economic and technological growth, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Discussions have shown that geology today is moving beyond sector-specific issues and is becoming an important element of economic and technological development. In this context, Central Asia is increasingly taking shape as one of the promising regions in terms of mineral resource potential, said the minister.
According to him, Kazakhstan possesses a significant resource base: about 10,000 deposits have been registered in the country, including more than 1,000 solid mineral deposits, 359 hydrocarbon deposits, over 3,700 sites of common minerals, and around 4,900 underground water sources.
The minister stressed the key task remains the efficient and rational use of resources. For this purpose, the industry was reformed in 2018 with the adoption of the Subsoil Code.
Since the reform, about 1 billion US dollars in private investment has been attracted to geological exploration. Today, the industry has around 3,000 licenses for solid minerals and more than 250 contracts in force, said Nagaspayev.
Additionally, the minister noted that new conditions require a transition to a qualitatively new level of geological study.
Today, the focus is shifting from quantitative growth to improving the quality of geological research. Promising resources are concentrated at depth and in geologically complex areas, which requires the introduction of modern technologies, he said.
Among the priority areas, Nagaspayev highlighted large-scale geological exploration, digitalization, and institutional development of the industry.
So, over the next three years, it is planned to conduct geological mapping at a scale of 1:50,000 over an area of 100,000 square kilometers using modern methods, including remote sensing and airborne geophysical surveys. Seismic exploration work is also planned in the Shu-Sarysu and North Torgai basins.
Special attention is being given to digitalization, as the country has introduced the Unified Subsoil Use Platform.
The platform provides a full digital cycle - from application submission to license issuance. It offers 22 public services, as well as electronic auctions and an ‘electronic wallet’ service, Nagaspayev noted.
In addition, the digitization of primary geological information is nearing completion and is expected to be fully finalized in 2026.
Speaking about regional cooperation, the minister stressed the importance of coordinating efforts among Central Asian countries.
The next stage of industry development should be based on synchronizing approaches to geological study of subsoil resources, expanding the exchange of geological information, and conducting joint research of promising structures, he said.
Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan is to set up a geological cluster with a mineral storage facility in Astana.