Kazakhstan Unveils $2.46 Billion Mineral Discovery in Single-Industry Towns
Mineral resources amounting to 1.1 trillion tenge (equivalent to US$2.46 billion) were unearthed in the vicinity of single-industry towns, announced Kazakh Minister of Industry and Construction Kanat Sharlapayev during a government meeting on April 2, as reported by the Prime Minister’s press service.
“Private investments worth 28.7 billion tenge ($64.2 million) were attracted to explore the territory. This year, we plan to complete prospecting work in five promising areas near the cities of Abai, Kurchatov, Balkhash, and Altai, which began in 2022,” said Sharlapayev.(Source:astanatimes)
The extraction of minerals and their primary processing serves as the primary economic activity in 20 single-industry towns, collectively housing a population of 1.3 million people. In the previous year, these towns accounted for 40% of the country’s total industrial production, amounting to 18.5 trillion tenge (equivalent to US$41.4 billion).
Additionally, the number of operational small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in single-industry towns increased from 92,300 to 100,200 over the course of the year.
