A regional centre for rare earth metals research is to be established in Kazakhstan. It will be set up on the President’s instructions, with the participation of research institutes from the European Union. The site for construction has already been selected, with five hectares allocated in the Astana Technopolis special economic zone. The centre will comprise three laboratories, each with a specific role. The geochemical laboratory will study ore composition and the potential of mineral deposits. The second laboratory will verify the quality of raw materials intended for export. This will make it possible to determine the content of valuable components more accurately and strengthen oversight of mineral exports. The third laboratory will serve as a research base for developing new technologies. Specialists will seek more efficient methods of raw material beneficiation, develop new alloys and test promising solutions under pilot-industrial conditions. In the future, the centre will be able to provide services not only to Kazakh enterprises but also to companies from neighbouring countries.
«The aim of establishing
this regional centre is to build leadership in the field of critical raw
materials in Central Asia. A foreign company is currently developing a
preliminary feasibility study, which will define the scope of research
and analyse production capacity. Early next year, we will move on to the next
stage of development: preparing the full feasibility study and the design and
cost-estimate documentation for the regional centre. We hope to complete
construction in 2027–2028,» noted Arkhat Kurmanbekov, Director of the
Department, National Center for Technology Foresight, Industrial Development
Committee, Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Construction.
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