Kazakhstan, Astana, April 19 /Trend D.Mukhtarov/
Production in the mining industry in Kazakhstan is currently expensive, the general director of the British company Hambledon Mining pic Tim Daffern said.
"Kazakhstan is no longer a country with low costs in the production of the mining industry. Costs are rising faster than in other countries. Annual growth is 10 per cent which affects the growth of prices for electricity and fuel. It is a major factor of cost growth," Daffern said at the third international mining forum MINEX-Central Asia-2012 in Astana on Thursday.
He also said the cost of the equipment brought to Kazakhstan from Europe has also increased and it should be taken into account.
"It is clear that we should be wiser to continue to develop production here. One of the solutions is modernisation" he said. At the same time, Tim Daffern added that there are also advantages in Kazakhstan.
"It is the willingness of local staff to work in difficult conditions since all the companies of the mining industry are in difficult places," he said.
British company Hambledon Mining ltd is engaged in gold mining in Kazakhstan. The company has been producing gold from the Sekisov deposit and intends to increase productivity from 27.000 ounces this year to 100,000 ounces by the end of 2017.
It is in talks to acquire gold deposits at the Akmola Gold mine 140 kilometres from Astana, the company CEO Tim Daffern told journalists in Astana on Thursday.