Summary of the 10th MINEX Kazakhstan Mining and Exploration Forum
The 10th MINEX Kazakhstan Mining and Exploration Forum was organised on 2-4 April 2019 in Nur-Sultan under the central theme ‘Opening up new frontiers’ which reflects the exciting prospects emerging in the mining sector due to the ongoing reforms. MINEX Forum has been held in Kazakhstan since 2010 and is one of the most popular and reputable industry events organised in the Central Asian region. The Forum provides an annual international platform for the presentation of critical changes affecting and key projects implemented in the mining and geological industries of Kazakhstan and the countries of Central Asia. The longstanding partners of the Forum are the Department of Subsoil Use and the Committee of Geology and Subsoil Use of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the UK Department for International Trade.
This year, the Forum has brought together more than 450 executives from 16 countries, representing 152 mining and metallurgical companies, ministries, geological committees, investment companies, banks, stock exchanges, service companies and mining equipment manufacturers. Around 30% of the participants were CEOs or board directors. The Forum was sponsored by YILMADEN Holding, Voskhod-Oriel, SRK Consulting, Wardell Armstrong International, Seequent, IMC Montan, DMT, Rio Tinto, FLSmidth, OGK Group, Haller Lomax, Olympex Advisers, GRATA International, K-MINE and Adji Service.
Among the major foreign and joint-venture mining companies that took part in the Forum were Yilmaden Holding, Rio Tinto, Freeport Moran, Katco, Cameco, Inkai, Access Mining, Aurum Deutschland, Esan, Pozitif Sondaj and Polyus. Delegates from Kazzinc, KazMinerals, ERG, ERG Gold, Kazakhmys Barlau, Kazatomprom, Bogatyr Komir, Kazgeology, Tau-Ken Samruk, Kazakhaltyn, EuroChem, Verny Investments Holding, Resource Capital Group, Aurora Minerals, Maikanzoloto, Adelya Gold, KZ.Copper and other national mining and exploration companies also attended the Forum.
Journalists from 30 national and international media were accredited at the Forum. Television news coverage of the Forum was provided by the national news agency, Khabar.
Thirty-three companies and organisations exhibited at the trade show organised alongside the Forum on 3 and 4 April. The themes addressed during the Forum included areas of mining and exploration: geophysics; geological prospecting; the assessment of mineral reserves and resources; mine planning; extraction; minerals and metals processing; mining software; mine safety; drilling; blasting; EPC and EPCM; infrastructure; energy efficiency; mining engineering; and, mining data. The exhibition attracted over 600 visitors.
Methodological materials and recommendations for the implementation of the Subsoil and Subsoil Use Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan were presented at the booth of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development. Kazgeoinform showcased for the first time its interactive geological databases and exploration areas.
Public Association Kyrgyz Society of Subsoil Experts (KSSE) and the Public Association “Professional Association of Independent Subsoil Experts” (PONEN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Forum.
I.K. Chunuev, president of KSSE, appreciated the progress achieved by PONEN in the Implementation of the Institute of Competent Persons in the Republic of Kazakhstan. G.G. Freiman, Chairman of PONEN, shared the valuable information on the requirements of the CRIRSCO Council for independent national expert organisations and the difficulties of its implementation in the context of the national legislation of Kazakhstan.
KSSE and PONEN have agreed to exchange information and implement joint projects of mutual interest, in particular in the areas of standardisation and harmonisation of terminology and definitions at the reserve classification and activity reporting, as well as to study the features of the application of geostatistics, geological and economic modelling and computer technologies in assessing and calculating mineral resources.
For the first time, the Forum participants were offered a tailor-made mobile application to allow them to identify potential partners, schedule meetings, hold private chats with speakers, take part in interactive surveys and much more.
With the help of the app, Forum participants were able to find potential partners and organise 23 business meetings. As part of the Forum, senior leaders from the Ministry met with a delegation from Yilmaden Holding, which presented the results of the Voskhod group of companies and five joint exploration projects implemented jointly with Kazgeology and Qazaq Soda. Representatives of Qatar Mining held meetings with relevant government agencies and mining enterprises to determine possible forms of cooperation. A Qatari state-owned company is looking to invest between 10 and 50 million dollars in exploration of deposits in Kazakhstan. The projects selected during the negotiations will undergo a comprehensive examination after which the investment decisions will be made.
Interactive surveys were organised during the ten sessions of the Forum. The results of the survey will be presented in the full report of the Forum to be released on 26 April.