During a working visit to the Karaganda Region, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov visited key industrial enterprises of Balkhash and reviewed the implementation of geological exploration projects.
At the Karatas deposit, the Head of Government got acquainted with the progress of exploration activities conducted by JSC NMC Tau-Ken Samruk and modern subsurface exploration technologies.
Nariman Absametov, Chairman of the Management Board of Tau-Ken Samruk, reported that over the past year, the company had obtained three licenses and commenced exploration for gold, copper, and rare-earth metals. Based on the results of the work carried out, more than 8 tons of gold and 150,000 tons of copper have already been confirmed.
In particular, exploration results for the Karatas project have increased in the average copper grade from 0.35% to 0.46%. Technological samples are currently collected, with hydrogeological and geotechnical studies planned to follow.
Initial results from the AI-powered intelligent core logging system were also presented. This technology enhances operational productivity and reduces the time required for core documentation. Currently, the system has been trained on data from the Zhosabai field, and the description accuracy is 80%. By the end of the year, this figure is expected to be increased to 95%.
Following the visit, the Prime Minister instructed Tau-Ken Samruk to scale up the experience gained from the Karatas and Zhosabai projects to other promising sites, ensuring a timely transition from geological exploration to registering reserves on the state balance sheet and their subsequent industrial development.