ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has set an ambitious national goal: to bring the level of Kazakhstan’s subsoil exploration to 2.2 million square kilometers. To put that in perspective, this is larger than the entire area of Saudi Arabia. One of the key players embracing this challenge is Kazakhmys Barlau, a company rapidly becoming a powerhouse in geological exploration. The Astana Times spoke with Galym Nurzhanov, CEO of Kazakhmys Barlau and deputy chairman for geology and strategy at Kazakhmys Corporation, about expanding exploration, the new geological cluster in Zhezkazgan, talent pipelines, and the potential of Afghanistan’s untapped geology.
Galym Nurzhanov, CEO of Kazakhmys Barlau and deputy chairman for geology and strategy at Kazakhmys Corporation. Photo credit: Fatima Kemelova/ The Astana Times
Exploration is a matter of national stability
“I believe President Tokayev set the right objectives. We must keep exploring our country and constantly expand our understanding of the territory. The level of exploration varies. Our company is certainly contributing to expanding the explored areas. We’re currently working on 47 projects, all in early stages. Forty-seven projects is a lot,” said Nurzhanov.
He explained that the work encompasses the full scope of geological exploration, spanning from airborne geophysics and surface magnetometry to geologist-led field surveys. Over $70 million has been invested, a figure that positions the company as a national leader in exploration financing. Money spent on exploration is not just an investment in resources, but in social stability. Behind every deposit, there’s a city, and behind the city, people’s lives.
“Even compared to major international companies, we’ve spent more. That’s because we’re a city-forming, socially oriented company. Our factories and plants have been running for almost a century. To ensure they don’t halt operations, we take care to have reserves in place,” he explained.
“It’s a political approach: to avoid social tension in the regions. We continually conduct exploration, invest, and don’t hold back. That’s why Kazakhmys Barlau was created: to focus specifically on new projects. As you know, discovering new deposits under current conditions is no easy feat,” he added.
He notes that gone are the days when large deposits could be found with modest funding.
Galym Nurzhanov spoke to The Astana Times correspondent Aida Haidar. Photo credit: Fatima Kemelova/ The Astana Times
“In the 19th century, you could discover a huge deposit with $500,000 over two years. That world no longer exists. Modern exploration is a fusion of science, engineering, and economics,” he said.
Nurzhanov emphasized the global trend of declining mineral reserves, highlighting the urgent need for ongoing investment in exploration. “We’re thankful that our shareholders grasp this reality,” he emphasized.
He also highlighted the contemporary challenge of deeper, more complex deposits, which necessitate specialized extraction technologies. Nurzhanov emphasized that business viability depends significantly on achieving high recovery rates.
“Our companies are investing heavily in exploration and, importantly, in developing human capital. Among them might emerge a new Kanysh Satbayev (visionary behind Kazakhstan’s mining legacy) or even a Kazakh Elon Musk, who will not only enhance our country’s image, but also spark economic growth,” he said.
The company doesn’t just follow global best practices. In the past seven years, it has adopted and implemented leading-edge technologies. According to Nurzhanov, this positions the company among the top geological exploration firms in Central Asia.
“I wouldn’t say there’s anything in the world that sets other companies apart from ours. We’ve already incorporated the best practices and technologies and they’re operational,” he said.
Kazakhmys Barlau has invested over $100 million in geological development over the past five years, including more than $30 million into education, most notably for the new geological cluster and university planned in Zhezkazgan.
Zhezkazgan as the new Mecca of Central Asian geology
One of Kazakhmys Barlau’s most ambitious projects is the creation of a geological university and cluster in Zhezkazgan.
“This is one of the coolest cases. Colorado School of Mines is number one in the world for training professionals and we brought them not to Astana or Almaty, but to Zhezkazgan,” Nurzhanov said. According to him, this is the company’s “main victory of the year,” and a unique achievement not just for Kazakhstan, but the entire region.
The aim is not just education but establishing a world-class competence center.
“We wanted to create a home for geologists and geophysicists. A place where expertise truly grows, for those who want to engage in science. The cluster will integrate education, applied research, laboratory facilities, and access to global methodologies,” he said.
Nurzhanov drew parallels with the UK, France, Türkiye, and South Korea, countries that have exhausted their mineral bases but continue to innovate in mining, enrichment, and processing. Kazakhstan, by contrast, has abundant untapped resources. To develop them, a strong scientific and technological foundation is necessary. The cluster will include core storage, the world-leading Australian Laboratory Services and a geophysics lab by Colorado School of Mines.
“We want to be top-tier. Because rising is easier than staying on top. If you want to stay at the top, you must always surround yourself with smart people. And to have smart people, you have to grow them,” he said.
Growing talent, building futures
At Kazakhmys Barlau, systemic training of young specialists is central to its mission. The company has partnerships with domestic and international universities, emphasizing dual education, fieldwork, and the digitization of historical geological data.
Its primary academic partner is Satbayev University in Almaty. It also collaborates with other local universities, among them is the Semey Geological College, known for producing well-trained, English-proficient graduates. Internationally, the company partners with the Colorado School of Mines (USA), Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), Akita University (Japan), MGRI Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State University for Geological Prospecting (Russia), and the A.Karpinsky Russian Geological Research Institute (VSEGEI).
“There are many companies on the market now obtaining licenses and beginning exploration, and many of our specialists are already working there as chief geologists. We’re proud of that. Our philosophy is, yes, it’s bittersweet when someone we’ve trained from scratch leaves, but Kazakhstan is one country. We shouldn’t treat this competitively. My personal principle as a leader is: let them help build other companies too. We’ll be the benchmark for them,” he said.
According to him, foreign companies entering Kazakhstan often try to lure their employees away.
“They don’t need much training, they already know the fundamentals. We’ve provided many of those companies with services: drilling, geological support. Before hiring anyone, they always conduct a technical audit. They’ve seen how we work, and most importantly, that we’re number one in safety,” he added.
Contrary to the widespread myth that all young people today want to be bloggers or lawyers, geology is undergoing a quiet renaissance. To support early interest, Since its establishment in 2014, the Zhas Geolog (Young Geologist) Foundation has been actively supported by Kazakhmys Barlau as part of its commitment to nurturing the next generation of geologists. Modeled after American Boy Scouts but focused on mineralogy, petrography, and geology, it reaches about 1,000 students across Kazakhstan. Kids participate in field camps and international geo-olympiads with teams from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, and Belarus.
“Even if only half of them become geologists, the rest will at least understand the field,” he said. Through such initiatives, young people gain a genuine understanding of the profession, not in theory, but through real-life expeditions, at deposits, and in teams.
Afghanistan: not a risk, but a rare opportunity for Kazakh geology
Despite geopolitical instability, Kazakhmys Barlau sees Afghanistan as a geologically promising region. Nurzhanov, who has visited the country several times as part of a Kazakh delegation, shared his impressions.
“For our geologists and miners, it’s like stepping into the 19th century,” he said, adding that deposits with high metal content still lie near the surface.
“We looked at lead-zinc deposits, grades of nearly 39%, with concentrates reaching 41%. That’s ready ore, you can crush it and send it straight to the plant,” he explained.
The attitude toward Kazakhs in Afghanistan is also remarkable.
“They know and like us. We walked through the bazaars and saw that the flour, the bread it’s all from Kazakhstan. They respect Kazakhs and immediately invite us for tea,” he said. This mutual respect and shared nomadic heritage form a strong foundation for future cooperation.
Kazakhmys Barlau is currently in the early stages of assessing Afghanistan’s mineral potential.
“Many of their materials haven’t been preserved, and there are no archives. We’re doing reconnaissance, studying the surface, and comparing it with what we know,” Nurzhanov explained, adding that entering a project blindly is risky, especially without detailed documentation, but the interest is clear.
Afghanistan’s unique subsurface wealth includes critical minerals and rare earth elements essential for the global green economy. And geologically, the deposits are accessible.
As Nurzhanov put it: “Geologists have no borders. An ore body can run through three countries and to study it, you have to see the whole thing.”
“For us, it’s about what lies beneath the Earth’s surface. Geology is beyond politics. And if there’s a chance to discover something new, our specialists are ready. Because being closer to science means opening new paths for the country and for its people,” he concluded.
