British News Agency

The site, now referred to as “New Kazakhstan,” is said to contain around 1 million tons of cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, and yttrium – elements used in components of smartphones, digital cameras, and computer hard drives.

A spokesperson from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Construction stated, “Four potential zones have been identified on the site, and total estimated rare earth reserves have reached 935,400 tons.”

Initial estimates suggest that the total reserve at the “New Kazakhstan” site could reach up to 20 million tons at a depth of 300 meters, with an average content of 700 grams of rare earth elements per ton.

If confirmed, Kazakhstan would rank among the world’s top three countries in terms of rare earth element reserves.

Georgiy Freiman, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Professional Association of Independent Mining Experts (PONEN), noted that the project is still at an early stage.

“To classify it as a deposit, you first need to fully examine all the components in the mineralized area,” Freiman said, emphasizing the need for further exploration work.