Kazakhstan has more than 8,000 deposits of various minerals. With proper exploration, the country can expect the discovery of another 5,000 new deposits, with a total value estimated at $46 trillion. This was reported by Minister of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan Kanat Sharlapayev in an interview with the German magazine Markt und Mittelstand, according to Kazinform.
The minister noted that Kazakhstan is one of the most important oil suppliers for Germany. According to him, Kazakhstan also has enormous potential to increase supplies of traditional energy resources such as gas, as well as to produce and export clean hydrogen.
"Germany and Europe have a reliable and safe raw material partner in Kazakhstan, which will make a significant contribution to achieving the goals of the European 'Green Deal'," Sharlapayev said in the interview.
He recalled that the European Union recently created the "Partnership Forum for Mineral Security," which included Kazakhstan to develop cooperation and exchange between suppliers and users of strategically important raw materials.
"Part of the solution to the problem of transitioning the European economy to digital, energy, and mobility technologies lies in the soil of our country. Currently, Kazakhstan has over 8,000 deposits of more than 100 different minerals. With appropriate exploration, another 5,000 deposits can be expected, with a total value estimated at $46 trillion. Kazakhstan is rich in various solid minerals, including iron, gold, copper, uranium, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, gold, and aluminum. The country also holds significant shares of the world's reserves of tungsten (63%), chrome (48%), uranium (14%), silver (6%), and copper (more than 4%), as well as various rare earth metals," reported Kanat Sharlapayev.
In total, he said, Kazakhstan promotes 18 of the 34 types of raw materials classified by the EU as "critical" in the recently adopted "Critical Raw Materials Act." Therefore, the "green transition" is impossible without Kazakhstan, the Kazakh minister stated.
Sharlapayev also emphasized the reliability of supply chains and logistics routes.
"So far, most goods from Asia and Central Asia have been transported through Russia. The route exists and continues to be used. However, we are very interested in making the supply of goods and raw materials to Europe even more reliable and sustainable. A few days ago, Kazakhstan and neighboring Central Asian states launched a joint coordination platform for the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor (TCTC), planned jointly with the EU. The Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, promoted by the European Union and other countries as a sustainable transport route, is intended to transport raw materials and other goods between Central Asia and Europe in less than 15 days, bypassing Russia and Iran. At the same time, the project is also intended to serve as a corridor for the exchange of knowledge and innovation between Europe and Central Asia," he informed.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 26, 2024