An Overview of Kazakhstan’s Mining and Hydrocarbons Sector and Some Observations on Entering the Market

The results are in and there is no doubt about it – as of 2010, Kazakhstan, the 9th largest country in the world, has joined the ranks of the mining giants. This is by no means a product of one or two lucky ore strikes by a bunch of “wildcatters” salivating over speedy profits and fame, but results rather from decades of hard work in the trenches. In Kazakhstan, miners, big and small, are now looking to dig more, drill deeper and tunnel faster; and perhaps unlike in the past, they now recognize that successful mining operations involve more than a few pans, a pick-up truck and some good contacts at the border.