BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 13. Kazakhstan plans to launch gallium production with an annual capacity of 15 tons, Deputy Minister of Industry and Construction Olzhas Saparbekov said at a Kazakh-Belgian seminar held at Nazarbayev University in Astana on October 12, according to the ministry.
According to Saparbekov, Kazakhstan has the potential to supply 21 of the 34 critical raw materials identified by the European Union. The country intends to develop deeper raw material processing, high-tech materials production and joint projects with European partners.
More than 67 billion Kazakh tenge (about $147.3 million) has been allocated for geological exploration in Kazakhstan since 2018, based on an exchange rate of $1 = 454.98 tenge. Exploration has covered more than 2 million square kilometers, with the area expected to reach 2.2 million square kilometers by the end of 2026. A total of 38 prospective sites have been identified across 11 areas targeted for rare-earth exploration.
Kazakhstan already produces tantalum, niobium and beryllium, while molybdenum and rhenium are also extracted. Priority areas include battery materials, special alloys, semiconductor materials and permanent magnets.
"Given its current potential and capabilities, Kazakhstan can occupy a unique position on the global stage in the midstream segment of the critical raw materials industry, playing a key role in ensuring the stability and sustainability of global supplies," Saparbekov said.
At the head of state's instruction, Kazakhstan is establishing a Regional Rare Earth Research Center with the participation of EU institutions. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has supported the preparation of a preliminary feasibility study.
With the support of the European Commission, construction of a complex comprising geochemical, arbitration and scientific metallurgical laboratories is scheduled to begin in 2027, with the facility expected to become operational in 2028.
Kazakhstan has proposed four areas of cooperation with Belgium: raw material processing, metal separation and refining, engineering and equipment, and logistics and financing.
The seminar also addressed projects involving hydrometallurgy, rare-earth oxide separation, secondary raw material processing and the modernization of industrial facilities.
"We are ready to discuss phased models under which processing is gradually transferred to Kazakhstan together with the technologies and expertise," the deputy minister said.
Participants also discussed using the Port of Antwerp to ship finished products to Europe and combining European financial instruments with Kazakhstan's state support measures.
Representatives of Molymet and Lindian Kazakhstan shared their experience in industrial cooperation.
The seminar is expected to result in a list of specific joint projects, with partners and initial technical steps identified, ranging from sample exchanges and testing to the preparation of feasibility studies.