Kazakhstan to set up geological cluster with mineral storage facility in Astana
Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov announced plans to build a state-of-the-art geological cluster in Astana at the Geoscience & Exploration Central Asia 2026, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Bektenov reiterated that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev prioritizes the advancement of geology and subsoil use, with major reforms underway to modernize infrastructure and bolster the investment environment.
The introduction of the Unified Subsoil Use Platform marked a major shift towards achieving greater transparency, significantly improving access to services.
By adopting international best practices to streamline the 'first come, first served' principle, the geological exploration sector has secured nearly 280 billion tenge in private investment over the last three years, said Bektenov. International standards for reporting mineral reserves have been introduced. The development of 1:50,000 scale geophysical maps has commenced to enhance geological research methods, he added.
Prime Minister Bektenov noted Kazakhstan has raised financing for its exploration efforts by 10-fold, with the figure reaching nearly 500 million US dollars in the next three years.
Bektenov said a modern geological cluster is currently being established in Astana.
As part of this initiative, an analytical laboratory, a mineral storage facility, and a geological information fund are being launched. The cluster will merge personnel and technical resources and become a center of geological expertise, stimulating research activities, said the prime minister.
He also recalled that 2026 was declared as the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence by the Kazakh President, while hailing its significant for the geological sector.
Advanced technologies based on big data analysis and geophysical modeling will undoubtedly give a new impetus to geological exploration, said Bektenov. This will result in increased efficiency, as well as reduction in the time and resources required for decision-making, he added.
As part of digital transformation efforts, special attention must be paid to training and developing a new generation of specialists capable of working in a digital environment - professional geologists, engineers, and analysts, he stressed.
It was highlighted that the industry is also focused on accelerating the development of its rare earth production capabilities.
Bektenov stated the country possesses significant reserves of critical minerals that play an important role in the global production chain.
In particular, last year a large deposit Kuiryktykol was discovered, with reserves of about 800 thousand tons of cerium, neodymium, yttrium, and other rare metals. Geological resources are also expanding through technogenic mineral formations. Their development opens up new opportunities for the sector, said Bektanov.
Previously, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan works to build a geoanalytics laboratory at the grounds of the national geological service.
