ALMATY – Kazakhstan has launched its first world-class geological cluster in Zhezkazgan, the most technologically advanced facility of its kind in Central Asia, as the country’s mining and exploration sectors continue to grow.
The geological cluster in Zhezkazgan is the first facility in Kazakhstan that fully integrates a training center and advanced laboratory complex. Photo credit: kazakhmys.kz Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The Astana Times.
The cluster, built with cutting-edge technology found in only seven centers worldwide, consolidates all core processes of geological exploration on a single site, the Kazakhmys press service reported on Nov. 24.
Kazakhmys Group, a vertically integrated holding company with key assets concentrated in mining and non-ferrous metallurgy, has invested 11 billion tenge (approximately US$21.1 million) in the project, executed by local contractor Tansu Construction. The cluster has already created more than 200 jobs and is operated by Kazakhmys Barlau.
Integrated center for data, training and digital analysis
The Zhezkazgan cluster is the first facility in Kazakhstan that fully integrates a training center and advanced laboratory complex. This enables rapid data acquisition and faster decision-making in exploration work.
Photo credit: kazakhmys.kz
A key component is the country’s largest core storage facility, capable of holding 200,000 meters of core samples and forming a national archive of primary geological data. This archive allows geologists to revisit baseline information at any time, refine geological models, and reduce exploration risks.
The cluster’s laboratory block was created jointly with Australian ALS company, a global leader in geochemical analysis, ensuring that all results meet international standards.
Technology at the center includes automated German Ancorelog core-scanning systems and an AI-powered processing suite, LithoLens, which increases analysis speed from 60 to 240 linear meters per shift. Together, these tools help build exploration models more efficiently and improve data quality.
“We are opening infrastructure that makes Kazakhstan’s geology more accurate, faster and more technologically advanced. This new level of capability will support sustainable development of the country’s mineral resource base,” said Chairman of Kazakhmys Corporation Nurakhmet Nuriyev at the opening ceremony.
Legislative base for modern geological sector
According to Chairman of the Committee on Ecology and Nature Use Yedil Zhanbyrshin, Kazakhstan is steadily forming a strong legal foundation for developing a geological cluster that will contribute directly to national economic growth.
Zhanbyrshin highlighted that amendments to the Subsoil and Subsoil Use Code are currently under consideration in the Kazakh Parliament.
The new legislation is planned to boost the investment attractiveness of the industrial sector. Zhanbyrshin noted that the law raises the investment threshold in solid mineral processing agreements, directs at least 50% of signing bonuses toward mapping the national subsoil fund, and formalizes a unified digital platform for subsoil use.
“This creates transparency, fairness and competition. The new law will undoubtedly help promote investment projects such as the geological cluster in Zhezkazgan,” he said.
Partnership with Colorado School of Mines
The cluster also houses a geophysical laboratory created jointly with the Colorado School of Mines. Equipped with advanced instruments from leading manufacturers, it is serviced by Qazaq Geophysics specialists and designed to strengthen Kazakhstan’s research capacity. It will train experts in geophysics, instrumentation and robotics.
A central dispatch center manages all of Kazakhmys Barlau’s exploration operations in real time, monitoring transport, drilling equipment and analytical workflows.
The training block will be integrated into academic programs of the new Ulytau University, whose graduates will receive three diplomas – from Ulytau University, Satbayev University, and the world’s first overseas branch of the Colorado School of Mines. A geological museum has also opened at the site.
Kazakhstan’s geological future
The cluster strengthens Zhezkazgan’s scientific and industrial potential, creating jobs, expanding professional opportunities, and enhancing the region’s technical capabilities. The project also supports the formation of a modern geological school in Kazakhstan.
“For five years we have been building a high-tech hub that unites science, education and production. This cluster allows us to implement modern exploration methods, develop new competencies and create a professional environment that will shape the future of Kazakhstan’s geological sector,” said CEO of Kazakhmys Barlau Galym Nurzhanov.
Earlier, The Astana Times spoke with Nurzhanov about expanding exploration, talent pipelines, and the potential of Afghanistan’s untapped geology.
