100 Exploration Sites to Be Auctioned Under New Investor Rule

Kazakhstan will auction 100 subsoil sites for geological exploration under simplified rules. The government says these are underexplored sedimentary basins where investors face higher geological risks, Orda.kz reports.

The first auction has already been announced. It will include 40 sites and is scheduled for July 28, 2026.

Deputy Energy Minister Yerlan Akbarov announced the plans at a briefing at the Central Communications Service. According to him, amendments to the Code on Subsoil and Subsoil Use were adopted at the end of 2025 to simplify conditions for investors in geological exploration.

The main change is a special legal regime for underexplored sedimentary basins. These are areas with higher geological risks, where an investor may spend money on exploration and still fail to find a commercially viable field.

For such sites, the state is introducing a simplified procedure for obtaining subsoil use rights.

This will create more favorable conditions for investors and attract private investment in geological exploration. This year, 100 sites are planned to be put up for auction for subsoil use rights. As part of this work, the first auction for 40 subsoil sites has already been announced. It is scheduled for July 28,Akbarov said.

The Energy Ministry expects the auctions to help increase geological exploration, discover new deposits and replenish the country’s mineral resource base.

Original author: Alexander Zhdanov

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