ASTANA – Leading German companies – Knauf Group, GP Günter Papenburg AG, Roxtec, as well as the German Institute of Lithium (ITEL) – have joined forces to form a consortium for lithium mining using Kazakhstan’s deposits, reported the Ministry of Industry and Construction on Feb. 16.
During the working visit to Germany, Minister of Industry and Construction Kanat Sharlapayev met with Manfred Grundke, member of the supervisory board of GP Günter Papenburg AG, member of the Eastern committee of the German economy and speaker of the country group for Central Asia.
Sharlapayev and Grundke agreed to create a working group to explore the potential for lithium mining and use cooperation. Additionally, they considered the prospect of developing a roadmap for implementing the initiatives.
The parties shared the countries’ economic performance over the past year, discussed Kazakhstan’s and Germany’s current economic achievements, and expressed mutual interest in deepening cooperation in energy efficiency and developing supply chains for critical materials.