Qaz Mining Company intends to start developing the Smirnovskoye molybdenum deposit in the Kostanay region. Mining of rare-metal ores will be carried out by open-pit method, as evidenced by materials submitted for public hearings, reports the website infohub.kz.
The deposit is located in the Karabalyk district, approximately 100–120 kilometers from Kostanay. The nearest railway station, Toguzak, is 25 kilometers away. The first comprehensive geological surveys in this area were conducted back in 1957–1962.
In preparing the project, data on approved reserves and resources of the deposit were used. In particular, a report prepared in 2025 according to the KAZRC standard was taken into account, as well as a feasibility study for the development of three rare-metal deposits: Smirnovskoye, Drozhilovskoye, and Mukur-Ayatskoye.
According to the mining plan, as of the beginning of 2025, the identified mineral resources of the Smirnovskoye deposit down to the +280 meter level were estimated at 81.1 thousand tons of molybdenum. The metal is contained in 63.8 million tons of ore with an average grade of 0.13 percent. The bulk of these resources are concentrated in the Northern section.
Inferred resources are significantly larger. In the northern part of the deposit, they are estimated at 663.4 thousand tons of molybdenum, contained in 582.4 million tons of ore with an average grade of 0.11 percent.
In the Southern section, inferred resources amount to an additional 26.9 thousand tons of molybdenum in 29.3 million tons of ore with a grade of 0.09 percent.
In addition, copper resources may be present in the south of the deposit. Their volume is estimated at 111.3 thousand tons with a metal grade of 0.21 percent in 54 million tons of ore.
At the same time, probable reserves of molybdenum accepted on the state balance sheet as of the beginning of 2025 amounted to 77.6 thousand tons. They are contained in 65.7 million tons of ore with an average grade of 0.12 percent and are mainly concentrated in the Northern section.
The quarry's operational life, including direct mining operations, is calculated at 25 years. Qaz Mining Company plans to start molybdenum production in 2028. At the first stage, the volume will be just over 500 tons. Subsequently, production is expected to be gradually increased.
Peak production should be reached in 2035, when the figure exceeds 4.5 thousand tons of molybdenum. After that, volumes will fluctuate and gradually decline. By 2052, it is planned to produce about 2 thousand tons of metal.
The project developers also plan to extract copper. Its production is expected to begin in the early 2030s, but the planned volumes will be significantly smaller than molybdenum production volumes.
LLP "Qaz Mining Company (QMC)" was registered on December 18, 2001. The last re-registration of the company took place on February 14, 2019. The first head of Qaz Mining Company is Aydin Bulanbayev. The founders of the company are Askhat Tursynbayev and Sergey Lanochkin.
The main activity of the enterprise is officially listed as geological exploration and surveying without scientific research and development.
Earlier it became known that a Chinese company will buy a molybdenum-uranium project in southern Kazakhstan for $1.8 million.
Five deposits were identified at the former Semipalatinsk test site: read here.