French mining group Eramet is evaluating lithium extraction opportunities in Kazakhstan’s Aral Sea region while examining rutile and zirconium sand deposits across the country. Aerospace manufacturer Safran is simultaneously exploring potential rhenium supply agreements with Kazakhstan, according to Industry and Construction Minister Ersayin Nagaspayev during the Kazakh-French Investment Forum held in Astana on May 28.
Eramet, a French multinational mining and metallurgy company, ranks among the world’s leading producers of nickel, manganese alloys, and mineral sands. The company operates across 20 countries and has developed advanced direct lithium extraction technology at its Centenario facility in Argentina, which was inaugurated in July 2024 and delivered its first lithium carbonate production in December 2024. Safran, a major aerospace and defense contractor, specializes in aircraft engines, helicopter turbines, and space propulsion systems, requiring specialized metals like rhenium for high-temperature applications in jet engines and rocket components.
Kazakhstan’s Emerging Lithium Sector
Kazakhstan currently lacks commercial lithium production but is actively pursuing development through foreign partnerships. Germany’s HMS Bergbau AG is implementing a joint project to exploit lithium deposits in eastern Kazakhstan. The country’s lithium development strategy follows President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s “investments and technologies in exchange for raw materials” formula, aimed at attracting international expertise while ensuring domestic value creation. Kazakhstan’s approach mirrors successful models in South America, where companies like Eramet have demonstrated commercial viability of direct lithium extraction from brine deposits.
Critical Minerals Supply Chain Expansion
Kazakhstan already supplies France with titanium and beryllium and plans to expand both volume and product range. The minister highlighted opportunities for midstream processing cooperation. The country will soon auction licenses for 50 mineral deposits, with 21 containing critical minerals essential for European supply chain security. Kazakhstan can currently supply 21 of the 34 materials listed as critical raw materials by the European Union, with potential to provide the remaining 13 types in the medium term.
Industrial Development Pipeline
Several advanced materials projects are approaching production phases across Kazakhstan. Sarytogan Graphite is preparing to launch spheroidized graphite production for electric vehicle batteries, having achieved a 54% yield rate that compares favorably with Chinese operations. Eurasian Resources Group plans to restart gallium production, while state-owned Zhezkazganredmet is developing metal recovery processes for nickel alloy scrap containing rhenium.
Taza Metal Technologies is scaling up battery-grade manganese sulfate production, targeting the growing electric vehicle market. These developments position Kazakhstan as a comprehensive supplier of materials essential for renewable energy and advanced technology applications.
Strategic Partnership Framework
More than 200 French companies currently operate in Kazakhstan, with bilateral trade reaching a record $5.5 billion in 2024, representing 31% growth year-over-year. French investments in the Central Asian country approach $20 billion, making France one of Kazakhstan’s top three European Union investors.
Major joint ventures include TotalEnergies’ 1-gigawatt Mirny wind farm project in southern Kazakhstan, valued at $1.4 billion and scheduled for completion by 2026. Alstom continues expanding its rail transport investments, having delivered over 369 locomotives to Kazakhstan while establishing maintenance centers across the country. Air Liquide recently announced a hydrogen production facility at the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant, utilizing methane steam reforming and custom butane-butylene fraction processing.
French companies are positioning themselves strategically within Kazakhstan’s critical minerals value chain as global demand for battery materials, aerospace alloys, and renewable energy components continues expanding. The collaboration reflects broader European efforts to diversify supply sources for strategic materials while supporting Kazakhstan’s industrial modernization goals.
Critical Minerals Context
Critical minerals have emerged as the foundation of the global energy transition and technological advancement, with demand projected to surge dramatically as economies shift toward renewable energy systems and electric vehicles. These materials, including lithium, nickel, copper, cobalt, and rare earth elements, are essential for manufacturing batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, and advanced electronics. The International Energy Agency warns that critical mineral markets face disruption risks due to increasing concentration in refining and processing, with China controlling approximately four-fifths of global rare earth element refining capacity and two-thirds of battery recycling capacity growth in recent years. Supply chain diversification has become a national security priority for Western nations, driving investment in alternative sources and processing capabilities outside traditional supplier countries. Current market dynamics reflect the intersection of surging demand from clean energy technologies, geopolitical tensions affecting trade flows, and the urgent need for supply chain resilience in sectors critical to economic competitiveness and environmental goals.
