In the East Kazakhstan region, plans are underway to start underground mining at the Belogorsk rare-metal deposit, located in the Ulan district. The project involves extracting reserves over a ten-year period, reports infohub.kz.
According to materials for public hearings, about 3.312 million tons of balance reserves of ore are planned to be mined during this period. The design capacity of the enterprise is set at 350,000 tons of ore per year, with the mine expected to reach this capacity in its third year and maintain it for eight years. The total lifespan of the mine is estimated at 11 years, with a mining area of 2 square kilometers. The start of work was scheduled for 2026 according to the calendar plan.
The Belogorsk deposit contains beryllium, tantalum, niobium, and tin. The reserve estimates in the project materials were made more than 40 years ago. According to the 1985 protocol, reserves of category C1 with an ore volume of 2.8 million tons were estimated at 1,358 tons of beryllium, 243 tons of tantalum, and 224 tons of niobium. Tin reserves were 604 tons with an ore volume of 2.7 million tons. In category C2, an additional 341 tons of beryllium, 42 tons of tantalum, 57 tons of niobium, and 157 tons of tin were estimated, with a calculated ore volume of 528,000 tons. In addition, off-balance ores were projected at 6.2 million tons, containing an estimated 2,816 tons of beryllium, 299 tons of tantalum, and 502 tons of tin.
Unlike tin, beryllium, tantalum, and niobium can be processed at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant of Kazatomprom in Ust-Kamenogorsk.
Geological exploration of the Belogorsk deposit began in the 1930s. The deposit has been explored multiple times, and its reserves have been approved by the state commission several times. The last such review mentioned in the documents was in 1985. In 1985-1986, specialists from the Ust-Kamenogorsk Geological Exploration Expedition of Vostkazgeology conducted prospecting and evaluation work on the flanks and deep horizons. The main method was core drilling. Based on the results, C2 reserves were calculated and P1 forecast resources were assessed. Geologists then concluded that the deposit's resources could be significantly increased through additional exploration of the flanks and deep horizons.
However, Belogorsk has been mined before. In 2023, media reports citing an industry specialist said that underground mining here was carried out until 1993. At that time, doubts were also raised about the preservation of large reserves at the deposit.
According to the public hearing documentation, the subsoil use right for the Belogorsk deposit was obtained by Sinoinvest Group Ltd following an auction by the Ministry of Industry in 2025. The initiator of the current hearings is Asia United Resources Group Corporation Ltd. Both entities are linked through Du Cunfeng, who is listed as the head and founder of Asia United Resources Group Corporation Ltd and among the founders of Sinoinvest Group. Another founder of the latter, according to adata.kz, is Teliewuhabuli Akemubayi.