Turkish company Miryildiz Mining plans to begin construction of a gold mining plant at the Janan deposit in the Abay region in June. This was announced by Emrah Erdem, CEO of Miryildiz KZ, in an interview with Qazba.kz on the sidelines of the MINEX Kazakhstan 2026 forum.
“We purchased a mining license for this deposit and began further exploration based on old Soviet data. We’ve been actively working there for over a year. The work consists of four stages, the first of which has already begun. We are conducting drilling and geophysical surveys. In other words, we are currently carrying out preparatory work for the opening of the gold mine. We hope that construction will begin around June. A plant will be built there, as a gold mining enterprise will be established,” the top manager said.
According to media reports, the Janan deposit is located 100 km from Semey. The average gold grade at the site is 1 gram per ton. Gold there was previously extracted using heap leaching. Janan is a Carlin-type deposit, meaning it contains submicroscopic fine gold in carbonate rocks.
“Our investment volume will be approximately $482 million, and nearly $20 million has been spent to date. Later, by the end of 2027, our goal is to begin gold mining. That’s the current status. Currently, approximately 150 people are employed at the site. Starting in June of this year, when active operations begin, the workforce is expected to increase to 450-500 as construction begins. Construction will require a significant number of personnel. However, after the completion of the first phase of the project, we will employ a total of approximately 1,800 people, in two phases of 900 people each,” said Emrah Erdem.
According to him, 95% of those employed on the project will be Kazakh nationals, 95% of whom will be from the Semey region. The remaining workers will come from Turkey and other countries, including African, where the company also operates.
Most of the equipment for the project is expected to be supplied from China and Turkey. The company also promises to source local components whenever possible. The future plant’s capacity is estimated at 1 million tons of ore per year, and it will ramp up gradually, starting with an annual production of 80,000 ounces in the first few years.
Upon reaching its maximum capacity, the site’s doré production will exceed one ton of gold. Given the current reserves, the mine can potentially operate for more than 15-16 years. Given the company’s existing exploration licenses in areas around the deposit, it is possible to increase its reserves.
According to the head of Miryildiz KZ, Kazakhstan differs from the Central African Republic (CAR) in its operating conditions.
“Compared to Africa, the two countries’ development dynamics differ greatly. Comparing them too closely would be unfair. But in Africa, we have much greater potential and easier-to-extract ores. However, mining methods here are somewhat more complex, and we’re dealing with more complex ores. Consequently, the process and production costs are somewhat higher. But what are Kazakhstan’s advantages? Energy is cheaper than in Africa. And, of course, as you know, Africa has many diseases and logistical difficulties, but we haven’t encountered anything like that here. Logistics are simpler, there are no diseases, etc. That’s why this is one of the countries we’re currently focusing on as a company,” he noted in the conversation.
In conclusion worth saying that Miryildiz has 24 more exploration licenses, covering areas in East Kazakhstan, Zhetysu, and Pavlodar regions, as well as the Balkhash region. The company is primarily targeting gold, copper, and critical metals.
In Turkey, Miryildiz operates the Gaziantep copper mine and the Mersin chromium deposit. In this Middle Eastern country, the company holds 137 different exploration licenses for gold, copper, lead, zinc, and other metals, according to media reports. In the future, Miryildiz plans to go public through a share offering.
Translated from original article in Russian by AI
