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Waste
Our mining and concentrating operations produce waste including waste rock, soil and tailings. We carefully manage and dispose of this waste.
Waste Management and Responsibility
The Group is committed to the responsible management of mineral waste and other waste products, as set out in its Environmental Policy. The Group HSS Committee is responsible for monitoring waste management. The General Directors of the Group’s operations are responsible for waste management at a site level.
Waste rock by asset (Mt)
During 2024, the Group generated waste rock from the mining of overburden, mainly at its open pit mines at Aktogay and Bozshakol. The generation of waste rock at Aktogay and Bozshakol is not considered to be a significant stakeholder issue due to the remote locations of the mines, their low strip ratios and their distances from local communities. At Aktogay and Bozshakol the increase in waste rock mined reflected the necessary volumes of stripping under the sites’ mining plans. Additionally, in the prior year a greater volume of rock was repurposed for use in roads or embankments and was therefore excluded from the 2023 waste volumes. At Bozymchak, waste rock volumes reduced significantly as the site has now transitioned to the underground phase of its operations.
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Aktogay | 26.7 | 14.1 |
| Bozshakol | 25.4 | 15.7 |
| East Region | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Bozymchak | 0.4 | 5.8 |
| Total | 52.6 | 35.7 |
| Waste Intensity* | 138.5 | 88.4 |
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Aktogay | 57.4 | 53.4 |
| Bozshakol | 34.2 | 32.4 |
| East Region | 20.1 | 1.9 |
| Bozymchak | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| Total | 94.7 | 88.9 |
| Tailings intensity* | 249 | 220 |
Tailings by asset
Tailings waste increased by 7% in 2024 to 94.7 Mt (2023: 88.9 Mt) in line with ore processing volumes which rose by 6% as the concentrators at Aktogay and Bozshakol operated ahead of design capacity.
Tailings Waste Management and Safety Practices
The safe and effective management of tailings waste is a high priority for the Group. Operating procedures are in place for the monitoring and maintenance of tailings storage facilities, including regular inspection and testing of nearby groundwater to detect and maintain structural integrity. The Group periodically arranges for inspections by independent external experts, with all active tailings storage facilities inspected during 2024. KAZ Minerals is in the process of aligning its tailings management and disclosure with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management set out by ICMM, the Principles for Responsible Investment investor network and the United Nations Environment Programme.
The Group is required to comply with the laws of the Governments of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in relation to the licensing, upkeep and maintenance of tailings storage facilities. State authorities regularly inspect the Group’s tailings storage facilities to ensure compliance with regulations. One of the Group’s lower category tailings storage facilities, which fully complies with local standards, was reassessed under international standards and determined to require additional measures to raise its factor of safety.
Ongoing work programmes, supported by appropriate external consultants, are in place to develop the tailings storage facilities in line with future production plans and to address any issues identified.