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The programme is a government-funded public-sector geological-survey deployment, not a private-sector investment incentive. The state directly procures 20 geological-mapping projects through the authorised subsoil-management body (the Committee of Geology under the Ministry of Industry and Construction), applying four methodological tracks:
1. Aerogeophysical surveys — airborne magnetic and gravity acquisition at 1:50,000 resolution over the full 100,000 km² envelope. 2. Geochemical sampling — systematic multi-element soil/stream-sediment sampling to define anomaly halos around concealed deposits. 3. Seismic exploration — shallow-reflection seismic across sedimentary basin targets (North Torgai, Shu-Sarysu, Syrdarya basins) for hydrocarbon-bearing and deep-seated metallic deposit mapping. 4. Earth remote-sensing data analysis — satellite multispectral and hyperspectral interpretation to prioritise ground follow-up.
The previous Soviet-era baseline maps were compiled at 1:200,000 scale — the upgrade represents a 16× increase in ground-resolution per unit area, which is the standard threshold for de-risking drill targets to a bankable prefeasibility level.
Outputs are to be made available to private investors as open-data basemaps, consistent with the approach in the 2017 Subsoil Code (Article 21) and the 2023–2028 Comprehensive REE Plan's exploration-incentive chapter.
reserves (#1 globally, ~40% of identified resources), significant REE deposits (~8th globally per 2025 estimates), and substantial copper/zinc endowment. Improved geological coverage lowers exploration risk for Western offtake partners seeking non-China REE supply, directly operative under the US–KZ MOU (Nov 2025) and EU–KZ Roadmap (Apr 2025).
Kazakhmys/KAZ Minerals legacy districts; new 1:50,000 data could identify satellite deposits adjacent to operating infrastructure, reducing greenfield capex for partners.
value-chain ambition flagged in the 2021 Industrial Policy Law.
programme funds the exploration infrastructure required to convert inventory estimates into mineable resource classification (JORC/NI 43-101).
institutional junior-mining investment. This programme is operationally analogous to Australia's PACE / Exploring for the Future programmes, Canada's Geo-Mapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM), and the EU's geological-mapping mandates under the Critical Raw Materials Act — placing Kazakhstan in the same supply-diversification policy space as allied jurisdictions.
announcement was carried by the PM's press service on 14 January 2026 without citing a specific postanovleniye (ordinance) number. If/when the resolution is published in the official Adilet or EGOV.KZ legal portal, the resolution number and exact signing date should be added via amendment.
the Committee of Geology procurement portal for individual tender notices.
Kazatomprom (KAP LN) are the most likely private beneficiaries of open-data basemap outputs; watch for exploration licence applications in targeted oblasts H2 2026.