The desert wind rises, and forklifts roar. On the Gobi Desert in Zanakorgan District, Tanziluorda Oblast, Kazakhstan, a groundbreaking ceremony drew the attention of both Chinese and Kazakh people to the same mineralization zone. Tan Jiuchang, General Manager of Liaoning Hongda Group in China, stood shoulder to shoulder with Murat Yergeshibayev, Governor of Kizillorda Oblast. Behind them was the cornerstone of the Brabai lead-zinc mining and beneficiation project - not an ordinary brand, but a starting point for a new map of non-ferrous metals in Central Asia from a 500 meter underground ore vein.

Billion dollar drop in the Gobi Desert

The total investment of the project is 138 billion tenge, equivalent to approximately 2.037 billion yuan, with a construction period of two years and a planned completion date of 2028. The site is located in Zanakorgan District, and two mineral deposits, Brabai Zhargagash and Tarap, will be developed. The two deposits are about 20 kilometers apart and are located in the Akuyuk Maidantar lead-zinc mineralization belt of the Karatau Mountains, facing the well-known large zinc mine in Central Asia, the Sharkiya deposit. Geological data shows that the average zinc content of the ore is 2.01% and lead content is 1.62%. Detailed exploration has been completed, but there is still room for additional storage in the deep part. China has already invested about 9 billion tenge in exploration in the early stage, with 15 drilling rigs operating simultaneously during peak hours.

Capacity impact on Central Asia

According to the current mining and selection plan, after full production, 210000 tons of lead and zinc raw materials will be released annually, with an additional 20 tons of silver recovered, directly creating over 550 local jobs. And this is just a prelude - Hongda's blueprint also includes two underground mines, two beneficiation plants, and a subsequent full process smelting plant, with a total ore processing capacity of 8 million tons per year, and a long-term zinc of 420000 tons and lead of 220000 tons, totaling 640000 tons of metal equivalent. Compared to the 2025 production of 251800 tons of zinc and 76700 tons of lead by Kazakhstan Zinc Industry, which is controlled by Glencore, the zinc production capacity after the new project reaches full capacity is 66.8% higher, and the lead production capacity is 2.87 times higher. It is expected to become the largest lead and zinc producer in Central Asia.

Win win new mineral veins

Governor Yergeshbayev made it clear at the ceremony that the project is not just about mining and selling stones, but about injecting leverage into regional industries - promoting the diversification of Kizillorda Oblast from agriculture and oil and gas dependence to non-ferrous metallurgy, so that young people do not have to travel to northern cities. More than 550 positions are just the first phase of the book numbers, and the long-term employment will exceed 3000 after the industrial chain is laid out. For HTC, moving from Liaoning to Karatau Mountains is a triple anchor point of resources, production capacity and channels along the "the Belt and Road" to take the domestic mining, dressing and smelting experience to the sea as a whole.keywords:Engineering infrastructure

When the first shovel of soil on the Gobi Desert was turned over, there was no sound of drums or gongs, only wind and sand particles hitting the safety helmet. In two years, whether this place will become a turning point in the Central Asian lead-zinc map depends on the progress of the underground tunnels and whether China and Kazakhstan can turn the 640000 tons on the drawings into tangible metal ingots in the train hull.Editor/Yang Meiling