Kazakhstan’s aluminum reserves estimated at 809 million tons

On March 18, Bazarbay Nurabayev, the chairman of the Geology and Subsoil Use Committee of Kazakh Ministry of Industry and New Technologies said the estimated resource of Kazakhstan is 809 mn tons.

"The forecasted aluminum (bauxite) resources are estimated at 809 million tons," Nurabayev said while speaking at a meeting on the topic 'Status of the resource base of non-ferrous metals, the ways of development of geological exploration works for nonferrous metals in Kazakhstan'.

The committee chairman recalled major part of these resources is found in Torgai province.

During the period 2003- 2012 5 to 8 fields were under operation. Approximately 47 million tons of bauxite was produced and the production in 2012 was about 4.7 million tons.

As geological exploration works were being carried out in the period 2008-2009 in fields of East Torgai ore district, around 711,000 tonnes of growth was seen in bauxite reserves. There was no growth during the period from 2010-2012.

Kazakhstan ranks 2nd for aluminum reserves (bauxite) after Russia among CIS countries. Alongside with bauxite, syenite, nepheline, andalusite, alunite, and iron aluminide ores can serve as raw material for production of aluminum. The industry of the country processes only bauxite at present.

The whole industrial base of bauxite raw material is concentrated in t Northern Kazakhstan. There are other regions in the country that has mostly small fields and low-quality bauxite which do not have industrial value at present.