The Central Asian region, encompassing Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, is known for its rich geological endowment and hosts various types of gold deposits. These countries are emerging global mining hubs, and their governments are on a journey to liberalise national mining laws, opening prospects for global players. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are the most advanced in this respect. To meet their ambitions, these countries are applying novel technologies.
According to the Kazakhstan government, exploration is promising in the country. Kazakhstan seeks foreign direct investment and aims to align its mining legislation with advanced jurisdictions like Australia. One of its innovations is the digitalisation of geological information through a unified mining platform¹. The platform is currently in its pilot phase and is designed to provide easy access to historical geological data, with the aim of facilitating exploration investment. It also aims to contribute to industry transparency: the e-government platform, one of the arms of the digitalisation initiative, is being developed to encourage disclosure and ease the communication process between the regulator and the public and private sector.
Another example of innovation is a “digital mine” programme of Altynalmas, one of the gold-producing companies in Kazakhstan. The pinnacle objectives of the digital mine are to enhance safety and operational efficiency, minimize production costs, and optimize staff performance through the use of cutting-edge methods and the latest information technologies.
Innovative new technologies are also being used to improve sustainability performance in Kazakhstan. Major emitters of pollutants are now required to install automated monitoring systems, ensuring real-time data supply to the regulator. This is expected to improve enforcement of compliance and will allow the regulator to respond to accidents immediately. The infrastructure is being commissioned throughout the country. Public access to environmental data is provided via ‘‘ecoportal’’², an online platform that discloses information from ongoing impact assessment processes and associated public consultations, as well as monitoring results and waste management data.
- https://minerals.gov.kz/
- https://ecoportal.kz/
