Operations
Kazakhstan
We view Kazakhstan as a mining-friendly jurisdiction. We have a loyal and experienced work force with mining in their heritage.
Largest Country In The World
We have a loyal and experienced work force with mining in their heritage, and the country is highly competitive as an investment destination. We benefit from low-cost power combined with a favourable local currency, and from the country’s well-developed infrastructure and transport links.
Kazakhstan has the sixth largest reserves of natural resources in the world, ranking amongst the world’s top producers of chromite, lead, zinc and uranium. It is also a significant producer of oil and gas, copper, gold and iron ore.
Kazakhstan is in a central location for the development of natural resources, combining its mineral endowment with its geographical location close to many commodity markets and business centres, such as China and Europe.
Kazakhstan’s economy is the largest in Central Asia. Along with Russia, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan is a member of the Eurasian Customs union, which has helped the country to increase its global platform. Kazakhstan has free trade of goods, labour and capital within this customs area.
Kazakhstan is also a member of the WTO, the United Nations, the IMF, the World Bank, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), amongst other organisations.
Facts About Kazakhstan
- Of the 110 elements from Mendeleev’s table of chemical elements, 99 have been detected in Kazakhstan, and 60 are in production or exploration
- In 2023, Kazakhstan’s GDP per capita was $13,088 (Source: World Bank)
- Kazakhstan became the first former Soviet republic to repay all of its debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2000, 7 years before it was due
- Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world and the largest landlocked country in the world
- With a small population of 19.8 million, the territory of modern Kazakhstan is home to more than 120 ethnic groups and nationalities
- At 7,513km, Kazakhstan’s border with Russia is the longest continuous land border in the world
- Most of the country is extremely flat and barren. This is the famous ‘steppe’ (semi-arid and generally without trees, this area is extremely hot in summer and very cold in winter)
- Kazakhstan is so large that the distance from one end to the other is about the same as from London to Istanbul
- Located in Kazakhstan, Lake Balkhash is the second largest salt water lake in the world, and it is unique in that it comprises half saltwater and half freshwater
- The first manned space flight was made from Baikonur cosmodrome located in Kazakhstan
Read about low-cost high-return copper production from our plant in Kounrad, Kazakhstan
The Kounrad ProjectNorth Macedonia
We believe that North Macedonia is a prospective country in terms of its geology and its economic potential.
OUT OF 190 COUNTRIES FOR ‘EASE OF DOING BUSINESS’
North Macedonia has well developed infrastructure with road and railway links running north-south, connecting Serbia and Greece, and construction improving the east-west corridor, connecting Albania and Bulgaria. The backbone of the country’s road network consists of the two Pan-European corridors VIII and X. It has two international airports, Skopje and Ohrid.
North Macedonia’s modern digital telecommunication network is the most liberalised in the region and it has a good supply of low cost grid electricity.
North Macedonia’s mining sector is a significant contributor to the country’s GDP and includes a number of operating mines. KPMG stated that the mining sector was essential in North Macedonia as it is a significant contributor to the economy.
Facts about North Macedonia
- North Macedonia is home to one of Europe’s deepest and oldest bodies of freshwater. The UNESCO-listed Lake Ohrid is 34km long, 286m deep and three to five million years old
- North Macedonia was the first country in the world to have full access to wireless broadband
- Personal income tax in North Macedonia is 10%
- The country is a member of the UN
- North Macedonia joined NATO in March 2020
- North Macedonia has begun the accession process to join the EU
- North Macedonia became independent from Yugoslavia peacefully in 1991
- The Cyrillic alphabet, official in North Macedonia, is based on the alphabet developed in the 9th century by two North Macedonian brothers, St. Cyril (thus – Cyrillic) and St. Methodius. It was taught by their disciples at a monastery in Ohrid, from where it spread across the eastern Slavic world
- Mother Theresa of Calcutta was born in Skopje
- Alexander the Great, who was King of the former Kingdom of Macedonia, was the first conqueror who extended his empire across Greece and Persia to India and Egypt. During his time, the Kingdom of Macedonia was the most powerful state in the world; but after his death, the empire fell apart and it became the first Roman province in 146 BC
Read about the Sasa project in North Macedonia
The Sasa Project