Mining Intelligence and News
Kazakhstan

Kounrad Mine

Click for more information
Australia

Kounrad Mine

Location: 16 km N from Balkhash, Kazakhstan

Address:

4 Zh. Abugaliev Street, Karaganda Region
Balkhash
Kazakhstan

Contacts:

Additional Resources for Suppliers & Investors

Categories

Summary

Mine TypeSurface
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Copper
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotKounrad is a low-cost copper production site with leaching operations and a SX-EW plant close to Balkhash in central Kazakhstan.

The operation recovers copper from waste dumps created by historical mining activities over many decades. Since production commenced in 2012, more than 165,000 tonnes of copper have been produced at Kounrad, at costs that are amongst the lowest in the world.

Both the Eastern and Western Dumps were leached during 2024, with the production split being 27% and 73%, respectively.

With a minimum approximately 85,000 tonnes of remaining recoverable copper at the end of 2024, Kounrad is well placed to continue producing copper until at least 2034.

The new Solar Power Plant operated reliably during 2024, contributing approximately 14% of Kounrad’s total power consumption. During the summer months, the Solar Power Plant’s contribution averaged 18%.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Central Asia Metals PLC 100 % Indirect
Sary Kazna LLP (operator) 100 % Direct
Sary Kazna LLP, a Kazakh company which is responsible for leaching operations, is wholly owned by Central Asia Metals PLC (CAML) and is the registered subsoil user with exploitation rights for the Kounrad Project.
SourceSource

Deposit type

  • Orogenic
  • Porphyry

Summary:

The Kounrad open pit copper mine is located in the Balkhash metallogenic belt within the BalkhashJunggar orogenic belt of the Central Asian Metallogenic Domain (“CAMD”). The geology encompassing the deposit comprises porphyry copper mineralisation related to tectono-magmatism during the Devonian and Carboniferous-Permian volcano-magmatic arcs.

Site geology consists of unconsolidated sediments and granitic bedrock units. Sediments range from gravels, to sand and silts with some units being reported as ‘‘cemented’’ sediments. Bedrock ranges from granite to granodiorite. Highly weathered at the surface, the bedrock grades to competent rock within 10-40m from the surface.

Weathering and supergene enrichment have produced a general zonation of the mineralisation in the deposit:
- Oxidised cap - characterised by hematite, limonite, manganese oxyhydroxide, malachite, azurite, cuprite, native copper, chrysocolla mineralisation;
- Leached zone - characterised by moderate oxidation in the upper part and destabilisation of sulphide minerals under acidic conditions in the lower parts;
- Supergene blanket - characterised by chalcocite and covellite mineralisation; and
- Primary sulphide zone - characterised by disseminated and stockwork ore with pyrite, chalcopyrite, enargite and chalcocite mineralisation.

All of these mineralised phases, to a greater or lesser extent, are reflected in the composition of the waste dumps.

Very importantly from a dump leaching standpoint is the fact that there is a layer of impermeable clay/cemented material at or close to surface which effectively acts as a barrier to percolating fluids, thus allowing capture of the pregnant liquor with only very minor permeation below this layer.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Lock

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Commodity Production

CommodityUnits20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Copper t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe13,771 14,049 14,103 14,020 12,071 
All production numbers are expressed as cathode. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics2021202020192018201720162015
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe173.93 Mt165.25 Mt110.99 Mt69.3 Mt59 Mt

Production Costs

CommodityUnits20242023202220212020201920182017
C1 cash costs Copper USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 0.52 / lb   0.54 / lb   0.52 / lb  

Mine Financials

Units20242023202220212020201920182017
Sustaining costs M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 0.7   1.4  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 79.3   89.8   83.9  
Pre-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 57.1   61   56.9  
After-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
EBITDA M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 61.7   66.8   63.6  

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 15, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 15, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 15, 2025

Workforce

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2024
...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required 2016
...... Subscription required 2015

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.