Prominent German firms, Knauf Gruppe, GP Günter Papenburg AG, and Roxtec, have formed a consortium to investigate and extract lithium in Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan reported. The German Institute for Technologies and Economics of Lithium (ITEL) will also participate in this initiative.
The consortium members promptly set up a working group tasked with assessing the potential of lithium reserves in Kazakhstan.
Yerlan Galiyev, Chair of the National Geological Service of Kazakhstan, indicated in November 2023 that six fields in Kazakhstan, namely Yubileynoe, Verkhne-Baymurzinskoye, Bakenny, Akhmetkino, Medvedka, and Akhmirovskoye, could potentially contain lithium.
In October 2022, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan stated that the country might hold between 50 to 100 tons of lithium reserves. He instructed the geological service to accelerate the exploration and development of lithium fields.
Rare metals are essential for the manufacture of high-tech products, including electronics, magnets, batteries, and other innovative items.
Bauyrzhan Aitkulov, Head of Mining Projects in Kazakh Invest, noted in October 2022 that Kazakhstan had made minimal progress in lithium production and processing. The country has not yet conducted any large-scale search for potential lithium reserves. Information about reserves discovered during the Soviet era was classified.
The average cost of lithium extraction from subsurface brine is approximately $14 mn, compared to $90 mn for traditional mining. Aitkulov pointed out that the low profitability of this business discourages investors from taking more active steps. He also mentioned that Kazakhstan's industry currently does not need lithium.
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