Kazakhstan : Strategic Review of the Mining and Metallurgy Sector
Kazakhstan is exceptionally endowed with petroleum, and mineral resources. However, since independence, the vast majority of new investment in the sector has been devoted to petroleum, while, new investment in the mining, and metallurgical sector h...
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Language: | English en_US |
Published: |
Washington, DC
2013
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Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2002/09/2011689/kazakhstan-strategic-review-mining-metallurgy-sector http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15359 |
Summary: | Kazakhstan is exceptionally endowed with
petroleum, and mineral resources. However, since
independence, the vast majority of new investment in the
sector has been devoted to petroleum, while, new investment
in the mining, and metallurgical sector has not been
commensurate with the country's geological potential,
or with the importance of a sector accounting for over
thirty percent of total export earnings, ten percent of GDP,
and nineteen percent of total industrial employment. The
study focuses on the minerals legislation, and regulation as
the corner stone of development of the mining, and
metallurgy sector, governing access by the private sector to
mineral rights, highlighting the country's fundamental
problem, i.e., the confusion of the mining and metallurgy,
with the oil/gas sector, pointing that the economics of the
two sectors are entirely different. It outlines the
tendering system for blocks of geologically prospective
ground contemplated in the legislation, while a practice
extensively used in oil/gas industry, is quite uncommon in
mining/metallurgy, actually proven an unsuccessful practice.
Moreover, mining taxation as applied to mining and
metallurgy is fundamentally unattractive to new investment,
and not competitive internationally. In order to fairly
administer the legislation, public institutions are
essential, where the focus should be on funding, logistical
support, and training of professionals, thus far
insufficient for long term sustainability. It is recommended
that government proceed with a responsible program of
divestiture, such as the reactivation of the "blue
chips" program, and include environmental, and
infrastructure considerations. |
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