US searches for lithium in the Aral Sea

The US State Department reached an agreement with the Kazakh government on joint exploration of lithium and other rare metals in the east of the republic.

The US Department of State's Bureau of Energy Resources has partnered with Kazakhstan's National Geological Survey (NGS) and Tau-Ken Samruk mining company to finance exploration for lithium deposits in the Aral Sea region. This was announced at the government meeting by the chairman of MGX, Erlan Galiev, and noted that the memorandum of cooperation includes plans to study rare metals in the Kalba-Narim region of East Kazakhstan.

The American side is financing these initiatives, which indicates that cooperation between Kazakhstan and Western countries is deepening. In 2025, specialists from the USA, France, Germany and Finland will conduct an audit of Kazakhstan's Mines, while the British Geological Survey (BGS) will send several missions to the country. In addition, the British government provided a grant for the creation of a reference-geological database, which allows to increase the accuracy of the study of underground resources of Kazakhstan.

France's BRGM geological service will hold workshops for Kazakhstani experts on remote sensing, geochemistry, predictive mapping and mining waste management.

"Tau-Ken Samruk" company is a subsidiary of "Samruk-Kazina" state fund. At the end of 2023, it started exploring for lithium in the salt lakes near the Aral Sea. The project is financed by a grant of 400,000 euros from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and is designed for two years.

Lithium is a key material in the production of electric car batteries, wind turbines and solar panels. It is also used in smartphones, aerospace and defense systems.

Kazakhstan has become one of the top ten countries in recent years due to the growing global demand for rare earth elements and rare metals. The United States and the European Union are taking measures to expand resource cooperation with Kazakhstan and strengthen the role of the republic in the global transition to green energy.