At the Government session chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, the development and digitalization of the geological sector were discussed. Reports were delivered by the leadership of the Ministries of Industry and Construction, Energy, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, as well as the National Geological Service, DKNews.kz reports.
“In his Address to the Nation, the Head of State set a key task — to develop geological exploration as the foundation of the country’s industrial framework. To this end, large-scale work is being carried out to expand the studied area of subsurface resources to 2.2 million square kilometers. This goal will be achieved next year,” Olzhas Bektenov emphasized.
Kazakhstan has already launched a Unified Subsurface Use Platform, which provides 22 types of public services. The system enables automatic issuance of licenses and subsequent monitoring of subsurface users’ obligations. Currently, around 3.5 million units of primary geological data have been digitized — previously stored in paper archives, magnetic tapes, and photographs.
The Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Industry, together with the Ministries of Finance, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, and the National Geological Service, to complete the digitization of historical geological data by the end of next year. This will simplify access to both historical and new geological information in Kazakhstan and facilitate the implementation of investment, exploration, and field development projects.
Particular attention was given to updating geological maps, which experts note have become outdated and no longer allow for detailed assessment of deposit potential or accurate localization. In this regard, further work is required to increase mapping scale.
An important step will be the creation of a foundation for introducing modern scientific methods in geological exploration. To that end, a state-of-the-art laboratory within a geological cluster will be established in Astana to conduct mineral-geochemical and analytical studies.
The Ministry of Industry, together with the Ministry of Finance and the National Geological Service, was instructed to ensure the start of laboratory construction in 2026.
Following the discussion, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov issued several instructions to relevant ministries and agencies:
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The Ministry of Industry must ensure the development of design and estimate documentation for detailed geological mapping of the country’s territory at a scale of 1:50,000 by the end of the current year.
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The Ministry of Industry, jointly with the Ministry of Finance, must begin implementing a project in 2026 to transition to modern mapping methods, making maximum use of advanced technologies and unmanned aerial systems.
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The Ministry of Industry, together with other government bodies, must ensure the integration of spatial data within the Unified Subsurface Use Platform by the end of the first half of 2026. This will allow investors to clearly view opportunities and constraints in the subsurface use sector.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the Government will continue to prioritize the development of the geological sector, increase its funding, and create favorable conditions for attracting investment.
Overall coordination of this work has been assigned to First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar.
