KAZ Minerals PLC announces an agreement to invest $70 million into the group’s Koksay project by China Nonferrous Metal Industry’s Foreign Engineering and Construction Company Ltd (NFC). Following the $70 million investment, which is subject to certain conditions precedent including regulatory approvals in Kazakhstan and China, NFC will hold a 19.4% stake in the Koksay project.

Koksay is a potential open pit copper mine development project in Kazakhstan, located around 230 km from Almaty. The deposit has a mineral resource of 736 Mt at an average copper grade of 0.42%, with contained copper of 3.1 Mt.

The $70 million to be invested into the project entity by NFC will be ring-fenced for the development of Koksay, including a feasibility study which will determine the detailed design for mining and processing operations and the associated capital budget. The Board will review the results of the feasibility study to assess how and when to proceed with the project.

Oleg Novachuk, Chair, said: “We are pleased to welcome NFC as a partner in the Koksay project. We worked successfully with NFC in the construction of Bozshakol and Aktogay and we are looking forward to developing our relationship further as we assess this opportunity in Kazakhstan.”