The 13th Mining and Exploration Forum MINEX Kazakhstan will be held in Astana on 19-20 April 2023. The Forum is organised under the general theme “Managing natural resources to accelerate national development”.
The Forum is organised by ТОО «Горный Форум» (Kazakhstan) with the support of Kazakhstani and international partner organisations.
Venue: “Radisson Astana”, Sary Arka Avenue 4, Astana 010000, Republic of Kazakhstan.
The MINEX Forum has been held in Kazakhstan since 2010 and is one of the most significant industry events in the Central Asian region. The MINEX Kazakhstan Forum offers opportunities for presentation and discussion of key trends, projects, and technologies in the mining and geological industry in Kazakhstan and in the countries of the Central Asian region. Experts from Kazakhstan, the countries of the Eurasian Economic Community, Europe, America, Australia, China and Southeast Asia participate in the discussion of key trends and practices of financing, capital development, improving production efficiency, reducing environmental footprint, etc. Heads and leading specialists of ministries, industry associations and companies present plans for improving public administration in the field of subsoil use management. Technology and service companies conduct master classes and business presentations of innovative solutions for the entire mining chain from prospecting to large-scale transformation.
The Forum is organised in a hybrid format, which allows for speakers to present in person and remotely.
Who participates
Annually, the Forum brings together executives from national and international mining and exploration companies, service and technology companies, industry ministries and intergovernmental organisations, as well as investment funds and banks. The previous Forum was attended (in person) by 357 representatives from 170 mining and metallurgical and service companies, authorities, and manufacturers of equipment for exploration, mining and processing of ores and minerals from 16 countries from Kazakhstan and overseas.
Discussion Topics
The Forum stimulates exchange between Kazakhstani and international mining companies, ministries, stock exchanges and institutional investors, non-profit organizations and associations, and law and consulting companies experts on the key trends, projects and success stories in the field of subsoil use. Innovative technologies are presented at technical sessions, master classes and business tracks.
Main topics of the Forum
2nd Mining Goes Digital Conference
The 2nd Conference on Digital Transformation – Mining Goes Digital, held alongside the Forum, offers a cross-industry platform for the presentation and exchange of the experience of digital transformation of companies and government organisations operating in the mining industry. At the previous Mining Goes Digital conference held in Kazakhstan in 2022, USt-Kamenogorsk Titanium-Magnesium Plant, KATKO, Kostanay Minerals, National Atomic Company Kazatomprom, Kazzinc and Pustynnoye, Altynalmas presented project cases of the digitalisation of individual mines and the whole mining chains.
Industry competitions organised alongside the Forum are open for Kazakhstani and foreign companies. Presentations submitted to the contenders are evaluated by competent jury panels from representatives of leading Kazakhstani and international companies. All contenders will receive commemorative diplomas. The winners will be awarded prizes. The results are widely disseminated via press releases and posts on the media platforms supporting the Forum. Materials presented at the competitions are published online and distributed to the participants after the Forum.
MinDigital competition
The digitalisation of industrial production is one of the priorities of Kazakhstan’s economic development. According to official estimates, the digitalisation of mining production can increase the efficiency of almost all enterprises of the mining and metallurgical industry by 10-15 percent and reduce the cost of mining and transportation operations. At small and medium-sized enterprises, this potential is up to 50% or more. Many enterprises in the mining and metallurgical industry have already formed a digital transformation strategy.
For the second year in a row, the organisers of the Forum are holding a competition of technologies for the digital transformation of mining and metallurgical enterprises – MineDigital. The competition is organised for companies who provide solutions for the digitalisation and automation of production processes in the mining and metals sectors ranging from the creation of digital cores to the construction of digital mine twins.
MineInvest competition
Kazakhstan is among the top ten mineral-rich countries in the world. To date, more than 8 thousand deposits have been registered on the state balance of minerals of the country. Of these, 910 are deposits of metals and minerals. However, with the current intensive production, the country is close to the depletion of resources at many operating mines. To intensify the reproduction of the mineral resource base in Kazakhstan, favourable conditions are being created. At the same time, an audit of subsoil use licenses and an assessment of their contribution to economic and social development are carried out. As a result, the state plans to attract new investors to the development of mineral resources. The growth of foreign investment in the mining industry in 2022 amounted to 18.3%.
MineInvest – mining investment projects competition has returned to the Forum in a new format.
The purpose of the competition is to present to a wide international audience the Forum promising projects for the development of mineral deposits.
Project owners benefit from receiving feedback and advice from a professional investment panel and enhance visibility to stimulate the engagement of potential investors and partners from Kazakhstan and abroad. Geological exploration companies, as well as large producers actively exploring projects for the reproduction of mineral resources in Kazakhstan and the countries of Central Asia, are invited to participate in the competition as contenders.
Trade exhibition
One of the important objectives of the Forum is the presentation of innovative technologies and practices to the local mining and exploration industry. The international exhibition, held within the framework of the Forum, enhances opportunities for business engagement and promotion of technologies offered by Kazakhstani and international companies. About a third of exhibitors specialise in the production and supply of equipment for geological prospecting, extraction, processing and transportation of metals and minerals. The second largest segment of exhibitors specialises in digitalisation and automation of production. The third largest group of exhibitors provides services and equipment for geological prospecting, drilling, and blasting operations.