The strong activity in the global critical minerals market was confirmed by METLEN executives’ recent visit to Kazakhstan.
Senior representatives of the Greek industrial and energy group visited the headquarters of KAZAKH INVEST, Kazakhstan’s national investment promotion agency, in the capital Astana, where they met Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Kuantyrov and Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Greece, Timur Sultangozhin.
According to a statement published on the KAZAKH INVEST website, the visit provided an opportunity to exchange views on Kazakhstan’s investment environment and discuss potential areas of cooperation. Talks focused on the country’s metals and industrial sectors, including opportunities related to critical raw materials, circular economy solutions and the broader aluminium value chain.
Mineral-rich resources
Kazakhstan possesses abundant reserves of mineral resources, including uranium, chromium, lead, zinc, tungsten, gold, copper and rare earth elements. The country accounts for 39% of global uranium production and 48.8% of global uranium exports, while also holding extensive reserves of coal, gold and manganese.
Kazakhstan ranks third globally in titanium production, seventh in zinc, eighth in lead and eleventh in gold production. It also holds the world’s second-largest manganese reserves.
The country’s critical minerals and rare earths sector is emerging as a key growth area, supported by significant deposits of copper, lithium, tungsten, tantalum and other materials essential for modern technologies and the energy transition.
Mining contributes approximately 23.3% of Kazakhstan’s gross domestic product, while minerals and metals accounted for 18% of the country’s exports by value in 2024. Refined copper exports generated 2 billion dollars last year, followed by zinc at 788 million, silver at 588 million, aluminium at 369 million, lead at 251 million and titanium at 121 million.
Investment opportunities
Kazakhstan is actively seeking investment to expand its mining industry, with the government prioritising critical minerals and rare earth elements that are essential to global energy and technology supply chains. To support this strategy, it has introduced new subsoil-use legislation aimed at encouraging investment.
Ongoing reforms, including the implementation of a new mining code through the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), are designed to diversify the economy, increase domestic raw material processing and industrial production, and attract strategic partnerships. Key measures include changes to mining rights, infrastructure upgrades to address supply chain bottlenecks and broader cooperation in the critical minerals sector.
Για να εμφανίζονται περισσότερα άρθρα της Ναυτεμπορικής στις αναζητήσεις σας εύκολα και γρήγορα, πρέπει να προσθέσετε το site στις προτιμώμενες πηγές σας. Μπορείτε να το κάνετε πηγαίνοντας εδώ.
