From the revival of the "second Zhezkazgan" to digitalization - in 2 years of its existence, Kazakhmys Barlau  managed to start a number of projects that are important for the mining and metallurgical industry of Kazakhstan. Galym Zhumabaevich, what are the main projects currently being implemented by your company and in which regions of the country are they located? What projects are the main priorities for today? We are currently implementing 14 investment projects, 5 of which are new and started only this year. They are mainly located near mono- towns: Zhezkazgan, Balkhash and Satpayev, and, of course, in such important and promising areas, in terms of geological exploration, as Ulytau and Karagailinsky. Projects are being implemented around our industrial facilities - mines, processing plants, factories. We aim to replenish the mineral resource base in a short time through geological exploration. As for the top priority areas, we focus on copper, polymetals, gold and silver. Our geological exploration work includes both a comprehensive reassessment of the resource potential of the fields being developed, and prospecting work in new areas and underexplored ore occurrences. Often, the corporation's top officials speak of the revival of the "second Zhezkazgan".  Is there a real prospect to revive what was once discovered by the great geologist Kanysh Satpayev? As you know, work on the Zhezkazgan site has been carried out since the 1920s. So, Zhezkazgan is well studied. Nevertheless, today we are carrying out forecast and revision work, which has not been carried out here since 1974. We have created a team of competent professionals who work to revise and study all the results of previous studies. There is no need to wait for the discovery of fundamentally new deposits here, but we assume that there are areas that have been missed or not fully explored. We hope that new technologies, modern processing tools, comprehensive reinterpretation of geological and geophysical data, as well as high-quality exploration work on this basis will help us identify them. Within the Zhezkazgan region, 50 promising ore objects have been identified and recommended for prospecting and appraisal works. Kazakhmys Barlau is already carrying out work on several of them. The most promising zones for us are Zhaman-Aybat and Zhilandy group of fields. So, in the latter, for example, there is an expected increase by 700 thousand tons of copper in predicted resources. This is a good increase. Starting next year, we plan to start verification work, and I think that the forecast will be confirmed. To revise the worked-out space and the remaining reserves with involvement of a partner of the world leader in the drone application industry- a Kazakh company KazUAV LLP, a three-dimensional scanning of mine workings through autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles has started at the Zhezkazgan field. We hope that these works will bring positive results and will provide a great contribution to the replenishment and development of the mineral resource base of the Zhezkazgan region. Therefore, I want to say that the Zhezkazgan-Ulytau region remains highly promising in terms of various types of minerals and requires a comprehensive and systematic study using modern scientific and methodological support for geological surveys, highly effective geological exploration technologies, and methods for processing geological and geophysical data. We are already carrying out this work systematically and in stages, but time will show. Geology is rightfully considered an independent science due to scientific approaches in solving problems and use of latest technologies. Can we say that science and Kazakhmys Barlau projects are connected? What new approaches are you using scientifically? Geology is science. And therefore, there is a scientific approach used in geological research. Until today many zones in Kazakhstan have been mainly studied at a depth of up to 300 meters. Now we are using geophysical technologies that allow us to conduct research at even deeper depths. For example, last year we began to cooperate with a Canadian company that brought us aeromagnetic survey technology using drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, ground-based electrical exploration to search for a copper deposit. The application of the technology is already yielding good results, one of such examples is the Ozernoye field in the Karkaralinsky district of the Karaganda region, where some anomalies have been confirmed. This suggests that the technologies are working and we plan to use them in other areas as well. Also this year, for the first time in Kazakhstan, we launched a 3D survey of underground workings. Based on the results of the work, it is planned to obtain a reliable geological model, which will give us an understanding of the geological structure of the studied areas. In the Dyusembayskaya area of ​​the Ulytau district, this year we are using the effective Soviet experience in the scientific substantiation of geological research and we have engaged the well-known Central Research Institute of the Geological Prospecting Institute TsNIGRI in Moscow for scientific and methodological support of geological exploration. We hope that this approach will lead, albeit not necessarily to discovery of new deposits, but to high-quality forecasting and assessment of mineral resources in promising areas. A while ago, “Zhezkazgangeologiya” JSC has played a great role in Zhezkazgan region. As far as we know, you have started restoration of the industrial infrastructure of “Zhezkazgangeology”, which have not functioned for many years. What are you planning to do on this site? Some time ago,  “Zhezkazgangeologiya” JSC has played a great role in Zhezkazgan region - it was a competence center. It can be said that this is the brainchild of the outstanding geologist Kanysh Satpayev. But the company has not functioned for many years. Meantime, local aksakals - veterans, former geologists and miners asked us to restore its work. We bought it out, paid the debts, and now we are planning to create our own small geological cluster based on Zhezkazgangeologiya. We plan to increase its capacity through building a core-storage and a laboratory of a new format on its territory. After all, all geologists in the world know the importance of the problem of core storage. The obtained stone material in the course of geological exploration may contain unique information about the deposit. That is why our company faces the challenge not only to preserve the core for the current and future generation of geologists, but also to increase the information content of geological exploration, which will contribute to an increase in the efficiency of field development. Also, we plan major construction and repair work for our own laboratory, training centers, and also there are plans to construct a hostel for our young specialists. We want to accommodate young scientists who will be engaged in science research here, to carry out research work with participation of international consultants and experts. Various digital approaches are being implemented in all sectors today. Kazakhmys Barlau, as one of the leaders in this area, has gained a fast pace and launched a lot of technological and digital projects. Can you tell us what these projects are and why they are important right now? Kazakhmys Barlau has launched a lot of technological and digital projects, we are one of the leaders in this area and from the very beginning relied on digitalization of geological exploration. In the spring of this year, we launched a portal for collecting, processing and storing geological data at remote sites of the company. We have purchased equipment to provide our fields with satellite communications. Today, our geologists who are in the field can, at any time of the year and in any weather, immediately after the exit of the core (rock sample obtained from the well - V), photograph it and send these materials to the central office for further analysis. In our opinion, this will significantly speed up exploration work: project managers will be able to receive operational data and online adjust the work of field geologists. And in general, all new technologies cannot work without high-quality communication. One of the most important projects, I consider the digitalization of the database, collected from old historical materials on Zhezkazgan, Balkhash and the whole of the Karaganda region. I think that a complete electronic database will be fully formed by 2022. Today, the technical capabilities of our company, modern approaches and the use of advanced and innovative technologies allow us to conduct exploration projects 365 days a year, despite the season. Indeed, today, many other exploration companies arrange their work taking into account the seasonality and weather conditions. Your company is very young, but it quickly gained momentum in the geological industry and in the market in general. It has proved itself as one of the largest enterprises investing a lot of money in geo-projects. How does the company assess the investment risks in exploration projects? How much has the company already invested in geological exploration during the period of operation? Geological exploration has always been known as the most risky for investment projects. It is believed that if one out of a thousand projects takes off, then it covers the costs of the rest. We know that many of our projects are risky, but we calculate these risks, thoroughly study them, raise all available historical materials, verify them, and again apply new technologies. All this allows you to reduce the search time and reduce any possible risks. Everyone knows that all readily available deposits are low grade, or come with impurities or are thin. Large potential deposits are either located in hard-to-reach places with no infrastructure or are deeply buried (blind deposits). For example, earlier, medium and large deposits in the world were discovered every 3-5 years, but now statistics show that such a process occurs every 7-10 years. To discover a large field requires a comprehensive analysis and a scientific approach. Over the past 2 years, we have invested 9.5 billion tenge in our projects, with setting up a company, the volume of investments increased 5 times and every year they are growing. Our goal is to fully cover the needs of our sectors. The holding's reserves are approximately 1.5 billion tons. If we annually extract about 15-20 million tons of raw materials, this will give our enterprises 50-70 years of life. So, we will try to increase these indicators. How do you upgrade qualification of your staff? Does the company have a mentoring system? Highly qualified personnel for Kazakhmys Barlau is the main constituent resource needed for good quality results when we carry out strategic tasks. Our staff is our main value. Today we employ over 300 employees who have extensive industrial and scientific experience. Our employees constantly improve their qualifications, we regularly train them, they participate in forums and seminars, attract experts who share their knowledge with our specialists. In addition, every year, at our company, students of several universities and colleges undergo a paid internship. Those trainees who have proven to be the best are included in our personnel reserve and after graduation we hire them without holding a competition. The minimum is 10-12 young specialists per year. Also, to instill interest in the profession of a geologist, this year for the first time we created clubs of young geologists in the cities of Zhezkazgan and Satpayev. Coverage - 100 children. In the future, we want to open the same clubs in Balkhash, Temirtau, the villages of Karagaili, Sayak, Ulytau, Karsakpay. Galym Zhumabaevich, you have an extensive experience in geology. Can you tell me, what is really important when searching for deposits -luck, intuition, a professional team, or is it still a clear geological calculation? They say that geologists are romantics, so they rely more on luck. But it was in the 19th century that geologists relied only on luck, today, due to the development of technology and science, we focus more on them. It is known that geological exploration is always a risky, lengthy, capital-intensive process and it does not always end successfully and the investments made may not always return. Geological risks and probabilistic assessment must be taken into account at the planning stage, taking into account all the results of previous studies and historical data. Geological risk or its inverse value - the probability of finding a promising deposit - is due to uncertainties in the geological structure of the study area and the history of its formation. Of course, I do not deny that the professional intuition of our staff - geologists – it also plays its role here. As the study of any deposit directly depends on the competence of specialists. The higher the competence and professionalism of geologists, the higher the probability of success. And so, in my opinion, it is the high professionalism of personnel and the qualification of production technologies that meet modern requirements that should become an effective insurance mechanism for a good quality of work with minimizing risks. Well, in conclusion, I cannot help but ask a question about your work as an industry leader within the Yel Umiti branch program. What initiatives are being promoted by your team of industry managers in the exploration industry? As part of the program, we have formed a team of professionals in various fields, ranging from oil to non-ferrous metals. Our team is responsible for the creation of a geological cluster, as well as the development of mechanisms for its interaction with government agencies. Often, decisions made by government agencies do not correspond to reality, and the connection between them and the industry is lost. Therefore, we all came together to convey the problems that the industry faces, to propose ideas and best practices to solve them. To date, our team has done a lot of work to study the world experience in creating a geological cluster, as well as the mechanisms of its interaction with government agencies to create a geological infrastructure. We want these changes to be useful and have a good result in the future. Source: vlast.kz