Kazakhstan’s Senate approves amendments to subsoil use code

The amendments are aimed at further improving the subsoil use system, particularly by attracting investment into subsoil development, enhancing transparency, and advancing the digitalization of subsoil use processes.

Specifically, the amendments provide for:

• granting strategic investors implementing large industrial and innovation projects valued at over 14.5 million MCI a priority right to explore and extract solid minerals;

• increasing the share of domestic content in works and services from 50% to 70% during exploration and extraction of minerals, including uranium;

• introducing mechanisms for conducting electronic auctions to grant subsoil use rights;

• granting subsoil use rights for facilities involving technogenic mineral formations located within populated areas;

• strengthening liability for concealing or deliberately providing false information on subsoil and subsoil use in reporting;

• prohibiting the extraction of rock mass and/or the movement of soil at solid mineral exploration sites without authorization or in violation of permit requirements, and other related provisions.

Additionally, the unified subsoil use platform is established as a state information system that provides public services and facilitates information exchange between government authorities, subsoil users, and other stakeholders in the subsoil sector, including through integration with other digital systems.

The amendments also establish the status of the National Geological Service as the national operator in the field of geology. It will operate as a subordinate body under the authorized agency for subsoil exploration and is designated as a non-privatizable organization.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan made 80 billion tenge of investments in geopolitical exploration in nine months of this year.