CMA (UK) Joins UK Delegation to Mongolia & Kazakhstan for Critical Minerals
- kirstycriticalmineral
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 13 minutes ago
From 28 May to 7 June, CMA (UK) team members Kirsty Benham & Enzo Satkuru-Granzella, alongside Dr Gavin Harper & Sam King from the University of Birmingham’s Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements and Critical Materials (BCSECM), joined a UK trade delegation organised by the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The delegation visited Mongolia and Kazakhstan to attend the Mongolian Critical Minerals Association (MCMA) 3rd Seminar - “The Critical Minerals: Economic Impact, Investment Climate and a Roadmap” and Astana Mining & Metallurgy (AMM) Congress, as well as to meet local stakeholders operating in the critical minerals space.
The Mongolia visit commenced with attendance at the MCMA seminar on 29 May, where Dr Gavin Harper and Enzo Satkuru-Granzella presented on behalf of the BCSECM, and Mkango Resources Ltd respectively. Presentations on behalf of companies operating in Mongolia, including the Mongolian National Rare Earths Corp. (MNREC) and Asian Battery Metals PLC also took place, followed by a panel discussion on the investment climate and critical minerals, discussed by a number of prominent individuals from across industry, academia, and NGOs. HMA Fiona Blyth, British Ambassador to Mongolia, hosted a reception at the Ambassador’s residence in Ulaanbaatar that evening.
UK delegation in Mongolia, from left to right:“Critical Minerals: Mongolia and Global Trends” seminar; with HMA Fiona Blyth, British Ambassador to Mongolia; with the Mongolian National Geological Survey
A range of B2B sessions were held with a variety of stakeholders across Friday 30 May and Monday 2 June. These included Erdenes Mongol Group, MNREC, Grand Gan Khugjil LLC, Khotgor Minerals LLC, National Mining Association, Ministry of Education and Science of Mongolia, National Geological Survey (NGS), German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology (GMIT), National University of Mongolia, and National Geological Centre for Research and Analysis. The NGS is Mongolia’s lead geological body responsible for national mapping, resource assessments, and international scientific collaboration. It signed an MoU with the British Geological Survey in 2024.
The visit to Kazakhstan began with a drinks reception at the UK Ambassador’s residence in Astana. HMA Kathy Leach, UK Ambassador to Kazakhstan welcomed the UK delegates and local mining companies, and reiterated the importance of the UK-Kazakhstan Roadmap on Critical Minerals (CMs) and continuing to build mutually beneficial partnerships on CMs.
The 15th annual AMM conference began on 4 June. The event was supported by the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan, international and national associations, as well as industry leaders. DBT organised a panel discussion at the conference to promote UK opportunities and UK-Kazakhstan collaborations, which was featured in the
Astana Times - ‘UK, Kazakhstan Explore Critical Minerals Partnership with Strategic Depth.’ HMA Kathy Leach provided opening remarks, flagging existing collaborations such as the University of Cardiff’s new campus and geology degree offering in Astana, and the partnership between UK Maritime House and Zhezkazganredmet on rhenium production. She then handed over to Yerlan Galiyev, Chairman of the National Geological Survey.
The session was moderated by Alex Walker, CEO of East Star Resources Plc. Kirsty, representing CMA (UK), presented on the UK’s critical minerals industry, highlighting companies and research institutions which feature in the CMA (UK)’s new investment prospectus, and showcasing areas of collaboration between both countries.
Enzo, representing CMA (UK) founding member Mkango Resources, provided an overview of Mkango’s rare earth project in Malawi and HyProMag’s ongoing rare earth magnet recycling activity and expansion in Germany, Poland, the US, and Japan; all of which are focused around HPMS technology developed in the University of Birmingham’s Magnetic Materials Group. Shortly after the panel, it was announced that Mkango’s Songwe Hill project in Malawi had been designated one of the EU’s 13 strategic critical raw materials projects outside of the EU.
Dr Gavin Harper, Critical Minerals Research Fellow at the BCSECM, expanded on the HPMS technology licensed to HyProMag, and other aspects of the University of Birmingham’s world-leading research into critical minerals and strategic materials, showcasing the high calibre of the UK’s research and innovation landscape.
Sevara Madgazieva, Deputy Head of UK Export Finance, Central Asia, whose portfolio included the UKEF €12.6 million deal in Uzbekistan in 2024, explained the eligibility and process of UK debt finance and export for critical minerals in Central Asia. The event was well received, with participants thanking DBT for bringing together a discussion that articulated the UK’s critical minerals ecosystem and willingness for supportive collaboration.
Other noteworthy panels at the conference included the AI in geological mapping session, where the Kazakhstan Geological Survey demonstrated their joint platform for subsoil use and interactive map for licenses, and how they use AI as a starting point for digitalising historical records. They also flagged future increasing needs for data science skills given the need for analysts to double check uploads.
DBT arranged a number of productive B2B meetings for the UK delegates during the conference. CMA (UK) met with Nazarbayev University, which has collaborated with Colorado School of Mines and is developing research into capturing CO2 emissions in mine waste rock. The university is also looking for summer placements for students and companies to provide these.
Another meeting was with ERG, one of Kazakhstan’s largest mining companies, producing 4 main products in Kazakhstan including manganese. They are also extracting gallium as a byproduct from aluminum. With both ERG and Kazatomprom (which produces uranium, beryllium, tantalum, niobium), there are opportunities for UK research institutions to work with these companies on novel technologies around economically viable by-product extraction processes.
Other meetings included Ulba Metallurgical Plant and Zhezkazganredmet, who also attended and spoke at the CMA (UK)’s 4th Annual Conference in London on 2 December 2024, as part of a DBT-sponsored session on ‘Critical Mineral Partnership Opportunities in Central Asian and Eastern Europe’. The visit ended with a joint European delegation visit to Taza Metal Technologies, a former rare earth processing facility which now produces High-Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate (HPMSM).
The visits offered excellent international networking opportunities, enabling CMA (UK) to promote UK member companies, build connections with important Mongolian and Kazakh producers, and start conversations around technological partnerships. Thank you to the Central Asia DBT team - Asel, Zarina, Assyltas, Elbeg, and Daria for all of your work in organising the meetings, and for your dedication to facilitating business and technological connections. Thank you as well to HMA Kathy Leach and HMA Fiona Blyth for your support and commitment to building partnerships around critical minerals.
Kazakhstan is home to 18/34 of the UK’s critical minerals. For UK manufacturers looking to diversify supply chains, the CMA (UK) can support you in joining up with suppliers in Central Asia, please contact kirsty@criticalmineral.org if this is of interest.
Article by Kirsty Benham, CEO & Founder, CMA (UK)
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