Two pivotal events by Kazakhstan at Raw Materials Week 2024: Strengthening EU ties

Photo by Derya Soysal
The European Commission organized the Raw Materials Week 2024 from 9-13 December in Brussels. In this context, Kazakhstan hosted two meetings, given its crucial role in raw materials exploitation. The Diplomatic World team (CEO Barbara Dietrich; The Project Manager Alberto Turkstra and the Expert on Central Asia Derya Soysal) was invited to these two major events organized by the Embassy of Kazakhstan, writes Derya Soysal.

The energy transition is driving an increase in demand for minerals for clean energy technologies, raising concerns about the sources and security of critical material supplies. Central Asia (including Kazakhstan) is one of the world's main sources of industrial metals and minerals. This makes the region important for the mineral economy, supply security, and geopolitical perspectives. Central Asia is likely to become a new hotspot for mineral extraction and a major global supplier of certain critical materials for clean energy technologies, according to Vakulchuk & Overland (2021: 1678).

The first event took place on December 4, 2024, at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Brussels, where the Ambassador organized a round table on EU-Kazakh cooperation on rare minerals. Ambassador Margulan Baimukhan pointed out that Kazakhstan plays a vital role in critical raw materials. He mentioned that the country possesses 33 of the 34 elements identified in the EU's list of critical raw materials. He also noted that Kazakhstan is a top-ten global producer of copper.

The second event took place on December 12, 2024. Euractiv organized a press conference to explore the future of EU-Kazakhstan relations in the CRM sector and the emerging opportunities driven by the EU’s green and digital transitions. Kazakhstan is a major producer of critical raw materials (CRMs) and an increasingly important energy supplier for the European Union. Metals and chemicals from Kazakhstan are instrumental in the EU’s efforts to advance the green and digital transition.

During the Euractiv event, Ingrid Cailhol, Team Leader for the Middle East and Central Asia at DG INTPA, European Commission; Dauren Mendeshev, Deputy General Director for Strategy and Transformation at Eurasian Resources Group (ERG); and Bauyrzhan Mukayev, Independent Partner of National Company Kazakh Invest, spoke.

Bauyrzhan Mukayev highlighted that Kazakhstan can supply 21 minerals from the EU's list of 34 critical minerals. He also added that Kazakhstan has produced semi-finished products of rare materials such as ammonium perrhenate and ammonium metavanadate. He concluded by stating that Kazakhstan aims to double the supply of manganese sulfate and begin producing other cathode components like nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate, as well as increasing the production of finished products like vanadium, antimony, bismuth, selenium, tellurium, gallium, and lithium.

In conclusion, Central Asian countries are already among the top 20 global producers of many critical materials. Regarding individual countries, Kazakhstan has the world's largest reserves and is the second-largest producer of chromium, which is used in wind turbines. The country's reserves are estimated at 230 million metric tons, while global reserves are 570 million metric tons. This highlights how Kazakhstan will play a major role in the future development of wind energy (one of the main renewable energies), according to Vakulchuk & Overland (2021: 1680). Kazakhstan has the fifth-largest zinc reserves and the eighth-largest ore reserves in the world, and is among the top 20 countries in terms of proven reserves of copper, cadmium, and bauxite. According to data, Kazakhstan has a total of 233 mining sites and deposits. This is why the EU considers the country a key partner in the energy transition.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abisheva, Z. S., Zagorodnyaya, A. N., & Bekturganov, N. S. (2011). Review of technologies for rhenium recovery from mineral raw materials in Kazakhstan. Hydrometallurgy, 109(1-2), 1-8.

Бактымбет, А. С., Бақтымбет, С. С., Идрисов, M. M., & Серіккызы, А. (2024). INDUSTRIAL AND INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS FOR KAZAKHSTAN. Вестник КазУТБ, 3(24).

Vakulchuk, R., & Overland, I. (2021). Central Asia is a missing link in analyses of critical materials for the global clean energy transition. One Earth, 4(12), 1678-1692.

Critical raw materials - How can the EU and Kazakhstan cooperate ? (s. d.). Euractiv Events /// Welcome. https://events.euractiv.com/event/info/critical-raw-materials-how-can-the-eu-and-kazakhstan-cooperate-to-ensure-a-stable-supply-chain-of-critical-raw-minerals-metal#:~:text=Kazakhstan%20is%20a%20major%20producer,the%20green%20and%20digital%20transition.

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