Kazakhstan's Zhetysu Region Gold Resources Exceed 571 Tons; Zhetysu Gold Plans to Invest 63 Billion Tenge to Build a Cluster

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Kazakhstan's Zhetysu Region has total gold resources of 571.5 tons, but most of them have not yet reached the reserve level for direct industrial mining. Of the above resources, approximately 9.9 tons fall under the A+B+C1 category, i.e., reserves with a relatively high degree of geological study; another approximately 561.5 tons fall under the C2 category, which still requires further geological exploration and resource confirmation.

Industry insiders point out that converting geological reserves into actual gold production still requires multiple stages, including reserve and grade confirmation, determination of mining and processing technologies, economic feasibility assessment, infrastructure construction, and project approval. Therefore, there is often a long cycle between the resource scale in geological data and actual industrial production.

In recent years, the gold resource landscape in Zhetysu Region has continued to expand. As of January 1, 2025, a total of 17 gold deposits in the region were included in the national register, of which the Shalkyzy and Dalabai deposits were in the development stage, and another 6 were undergoing supplementary exploration. By 2026, the number of gold deposits counted by the Geological Committee had increased to 18, of which 3 had entered the industrial development stage, 5 were undergoing geological exploration, and the remaining 10 were reserve deposits.

However, actual gold production is still significantly lower than the resource potential. The Ministry of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan stated that no gold mining was carried out in Zhetysu Region in 2023 and 2024. Gold production data for 2025 will be published after September 1, 2026.

In terms of geographical distribution, the Kerbulak, Koksu, and Aksu districts are considered the most promising areas for finding gold mineralization, while the Panfilov and Alakol districts also have certain development prospects. Among them, the Kerbulak and Koksu districts have a relatively higher degree of geological study. Further exploration of relevant areas in the future will rely more on enterprises that have obtained mining rights to advance on their own.

In June 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan adjusted the national subsoil resource fund management plan, planning to open approximately 138,000 blocks for applications for solid mineral exploration rights.

Currently, Zhetysu Region already has 121 solid mineral exploration licenses. Relevant authorities emphasized that the opening of new blocks does not mean that gold will be found in all these areas, but rather creates conditions for enterprises to further carry out geological exploration.

While expanding exploration, the region is also advancing specific investment projects. Zhetysu Gold Limited LLP plans to build a gold mining industrial cluster and a gold extraction plant in Zhetysu Region and Kostanay Region, with a declared investment of approximately 63 billion tenge. According to the plan, after the project is put into operation, it is expected to produce approximately 800 kilograms of Doré gold-silver alloy per year and create about 240 jobs, with operations scheduled to commence in 2031.

Currently, 5 enterprises in Zhetysu Region are engaged in gold or gold-bearing raw material mining and processing, all of which have obtained environmental permits. However, the ecological department pointed out that holding an environmental permit does not mean that the relevant enterprises have necessarily carried out large-scale gold mining during a specific statistical period. In addition, none of these enterprises have currently set up tailings storage facilities or other centralized mining waste storage facilities in the region.

As the gold industry further expands, ecological monitoring may also become an issue requiring focused attention. At present, the ecological department of Zhetysu Region has not yet carried out long-term systematic instrumental monitoring of air, soil, and water in gold mining development areas, and no special inspections of the above 5 enterprises have been conducted in the past 5 years.

The Ministry of Industry and Construction also noted that the gold grade in the ore of some deposits is relatively low, which is also one of the important reasons why resources are difficult to quickly convert into actual production. The lower the gold grade, the more ore needs to be mined and processed to obtain the same amount of finished gold, and the corresponding mining, transportation, beneficiation, and processing costs will also increase.

Currently, Kazakhstan is attracting investment through measures such as tax incentives and infrastructure support, and giving priority to projects that achieve localized production and improve the level of deep processing. At the same time, relevant authorities also plan to relax regulations on small-scale gold panning, including simplifying licensing procedures, canceling mandatory gold panning plans, allowing drilling and earthwork operations within a depth of 10 meters, and expanding the operation area to 15 hectares.

Overall, Zhetysu Region is still in the early stage of forming a gold industry cluster. Although it has 18 gold deposits and a resource potential of more than 571 tons, the vast majority still falls under the C2 category, which requires further study and confirmation. In the future, how much geological resources can truly be converted into mines, gold processing plants, jobs, and fiscal revenue will mainly depend on geological exploration results, corporate investment enthusiasm, and the economic viability of projects.