Kazakhstan and Belgium agree to process critical raw materials together
A Kazakh delegation has agreed with Belgian industrial companies to work together on processing critical raw materials — a segment where European demand keeps growing alongside the energy transition.
The visit brought together representatives of Kazatomprom, the Ulba Metallurgical Plant and Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University. Talks were held with Hydrometal and Campine and covered the processing of Kazakh feedstock, technology exchange and the launch of pilot projects.
A separate part of the agreements concerns research and people: joint work on rare earth elements with KU Leuven and the training of specialists.
The next step is feasibility studies. For Kazakhstan the point is to move away from exporting unprocessed raw materials towards higher value-added products, while modern processing technologies use less water and energy and generate less waste.
Why this matters for Chamber members. Critical raw materials are one of the areas where EU interests and Kazakhstan’s resource base meet directly, and Belgian companies have long been strong in hydrometallurgy and processing. For Kazakh business, projects like these mean demand for local partners in logistics, servicing and engineering.
