ASTANA: On Thursday, November 17, representatives of Kazakhstan told a Brussels audience that the resource-rich nation will soon be able to supply all 30 essential raw materials needed by the European Union, according to a list adopted in 2020 .

The implementation of the recently signed memorandum between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Kazakhstan's Prime Minister, Alikhan Smylov, was the main theme of the visit and the meetings with EU institutions, Deputy Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Marat According to Karabayev.

On 7 November, the two signed an agreement to form a new partnership on the sidelines of the COP27 conference in Egypt, aimed at ensuring the development of a safe and sustainable raw material supply, creating a value chain for renewable hydrogen and batteries, and promoting green and Had to speed up. Digital transformation of both the economies.

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According to Karabayev, Kazakhstan ranks fourth globally in terms of the ability to mine and export essential raw materials, and is in the top 10 in terms of aluminum production.

A roadmap was needed to implement the next steps of the memorandum, and a "big meeting" was being prepared on 7 December that would include representatives of government organizations and the private sector in addition to the EU.

According to Karavayev, the introduction of ESG (environmental, social and governance) in Kazakhstan, especially in the mining industry, development of value chains, and creation of value-added inputs will all be topics of discussion. Another option was to co-finance research between Kazakhstan and the EU on topics such as geological digitization.

Karabayev cited a list adopted in 2020 and said the EU needs 30 different types of rare earth materials, including beryllium, tantalum and niobium.

He clarified that 16 are currently built by Kazakh businesses. Kazakhstan has deposits for nine of them, but has not yet started mining them. He remarked, "We know we have deposits, but we don't know the quantity," in reference to the remaining five.

ArcelorMittal, Glencore, Fortescue, and Rio Tinto are some of the large corporations noted as having operations in Kazakhstan. He also claimed that a document like the memorandum would promote new technology and enhance cooperation.

One of the goals of the memorandum, according to Peter Handley, head of the raw materials unit at the commission's DG Grove, was to more effectively use technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generally have less footprint from human economic activity.

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According to Handley, this is in line with the spirit of the Commission's legislative proposal to safeguard the supply of essential raw materials, which is to be delivered by March of next year and stresses the importance of supply stability and transparency.

He further said that another rule was that the way businesses are being conducted today may not necessarily be the same way tomorrow, as "there are many innovations" and the development of skills has opened up a lot of opportunities. .

Following Karabayev, Al-Farabi Yadryshev, director general of Kazakhstan's National Center for Technology Foresight, said that currently 16 out of 30 essential materials are supplied by Kazakhstan, but stressed that "in the future, the European Commission will With cooperation, I believe we can reach all 30 elements."

According to him, Kazakhstan will soon become one of the world's top producers of cobalt and nickel, paving the way for the development of green energy-related technology in the nation.

In addition, Yadryshev claimed that Kazakhstan had continued to develop fairly unique technologies inherited from the Soviet Union for producing elements such as tantalum. He then added, "We can provide all the necessary raw materials you request.

Yadryashev mentioned beryllium, tantalum, and titanium, processed for the needs of the airspace industry, in particular Airbus, when asked to give examples of value chains that Kazakhstan now produces only as essential raw materials.

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Karabayev said it was necessary to visit factories that made avionics parts to gain an understanding of the value chain. He announced, "It's a finished product."