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Reuters reported that Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan’s state-owned uranium producer, aims to produce rare earths and may look into buying deposits abroad. Spurring its interest are higher prices for the metals.
Reuters reported that Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan’s state-owned uranium producer, aims to produce rare earths and may look into buying deposits abroad. Spurring its interest are higher prices for the metals.
As quoted in the market news:
Resource-rich Kazakhstan, five times the size of France but with a population of only 17 million, is keen to carve out a niche for itself in the lucrative [rare earths] business.
‘As for rare earths, we are studying the issue of acquiring deposits of tantalum and niobium in Africa … we are looking at various (areas) with already explored reserves,’ [Kazatomprom head Vladimir Shkolnik] said, declining to give further details.
He said Kaztomprom was also considering buying licences to develop domestic rare earth metal deposits. ‘The market is vast – from Japan to Europe and Russia,’ he said.