ASTANA ( WNAM MONITORING ): Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy has attracted more than $71.6 million in exploration investment for the next six years. Speaking at a Nov. 11 government meeting on the development and digitalization of the geological industry, Deputy Minister of Energy Kaiyrkhan Tutkyshbayev outlined the ministry’s efforts to make the sector more efficient and accountable.
“Since 2020, the auction process has been fully automated and conducted on the e-qazyna.kz platform, making it as open and transparent as possible,” Tutkyshbayev said.
This year, the ministry conducted two electronic auctions, awarding 11 subsoil use contracts and generating 10.6 billion tenge (US$20.2 million) in budget revenues. The newly signed contracts are expected to bring over $70 million in exploration investment over the next six years.
Monitoring and compliance have also been strengthened through the unified state subsoil use management system, which enables full digital oversight of contracts. In 2024, the ministry issued 167 electronic notifications to subsoil users regarding contractual breaches totaling approximately 19 billion tenge (US$36.2 million), with 2 billion tenge (US$3.8 million) already reimbursed to the state budget.
Also, the ministry terminated 17 contracts this year for non-compliance. Returned sites are being prepared for new auctions to attract investors.
Tutkyshbayev emphasized that digitalization and automation are central to improving transparency, service quality, and management efficiency.
“Our systematic work will continue to enhance openness and attract new investments into Kazakhstan’s geological sector,” he said.
