Russia, Kazakhstan discussing plans for cooperation on extraction of rare earth metals - Putin

MOSCOW. Nov 12 (Interfax) - Russia and Kazakhstan are discussing plans to intensify cooperation in the extraction of rare earth metals, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after the Russian-Kazakh talks.

"The plans to intensify cooperation in the chemical industry and extraction of rare earth metals are being discussed," he said.

Kazakhstan is now producing beryllium, tantalum, niobium, scandium, titanium, rhenium, osnium, as well as associated bismuth, stibium, selenium, and tellurium. Promising areas of the sector in Kazakhstan are production and recycling of battery materials, heat-resistant alloys, production of semiconductor materials and recycling of permanent magnets. Kazakhstan has provided access to technological information on rare and rare earth metals to draw investors.

The Tau-Ken Samruk company, which unites the ore assets of the state and is included in the Samruk-Kazyna state fund, once had a priority right to develop rare earth metals in Kazakhstan.

The largest rare-earth metals deposit in Kazakhstan is the Kuyrektykol deposit in the Karaganda region in the central part of Kazakhstan, which was discovered this year. Its resources are estimated at some 800,000 tonnes of rare earth metals.