This April, the 12th Mining & Exploration Forum (MINEX) took place in Kazakhstan. SRK Consulting (Kazakhstan) took an active role in the Forum and engaged the experts from its Kazakh, Russian, South African and UK offices.
SRK organised a session titled “Mine Closure – Challenges and Solutions” at the premises of the Forum. This year, the MINEX Forum focused on sustainable development, decarbonisation, and industrial transformation and SRK’s session on responsible mine closure contributed well to the overall agenda. The main purpose of this session was to share experience, exchange views, foster partnerships, and strengthen efforts regarding responsible mine closure to the benefit of the communities and environment of Kazakhstan.
Mine closure in Kazakhstan is a relatively recent development and practical experience in responsible mine closure is critical to the sustainable development of the mining industry and society. Social challenges in Kazakhstan are especially acute in the areas where purpose-built mining mono-towns are facing unemployment and out-migration as deposits deplete. In this context, the panel discussion hosted by SRK focussed on these issues and suggested practical solutions in mine closure. The panellists shared their experience and provided an overview of mine closure planning in Kazakhstan.
SRK consultants were joined by representatives of the industry (Mr. Eugene Louppov, Insight Terra) and academia (Ms. Eleonora Widzyk-Capehart, Nazarbayev University) who fostered the dialogue and made a great contribution to the discussion. SRK’s presentations at this session included:
In addition, the following representatives of SRK contributed to the Forum by participating at other sessions as follows:
- “Lithium Potential in Kazakhstan” (Session 2) - Anna Fardell, Senior Resource Geologist
- “Role of Non-Environmental Factors in the ESG Agenda” Panellist (Session 4) - Jane Joughin, Corporate Consultant (ESG)
- “Mineral Targeting and Verification of Results” (Business track) - Mikhail Tsypukov, Principal Geologist
For many years, SRK has been a key sponsor of the MINEX Forum. This year, SRK was proud to be a Gold Sponsor of the event that brought together over 400 leaders from national and international mining and exploration companies, ministries, and other stakeholders.
SRK materials including presentations are available online and can be downloaded from the official SRK website. SRK will appreciate any feedback or inquiries regarding the contents of the presentations. Please submit your queries at info@srk.kz .
Given the interest in the topic of mine closure from MINEX attendees, SRK is considering organising a Closure Workshop to be held in H2 2022. SRK welcomes a submission of abstracts from all SRK offices as well as representatives of mining industry and academia. For more information, please contact Mrs. Sandugash Abdizhalelova at sabdizhalelova@srk.kz .
