Corporate Responsibility
Social Responsibilities
KazakhGold has undertaken certain social obligations for the benefit of its employees and their dependants. These social obligations include investing KazakhGoldin training programmes for its Kazakh employees and providing financing for the development of the social infrastructure of the territory covered by the contract.
In addition, KazakhGold has undertaken to purchase goods and services from Kazakh businesses whenever possible provided that such goods and services are competitive with those that are available outside Kazakhstan and are of at least comparable quality.
Environmental Responsibilities
KazakhGold gives priority to environmental considerations, including monitoring the impact of its operations on the environment, limiting desertification and soil erosion and preventing the pollution or exhaustion of subsurface water. KazakhGold The Group invests into a liquidation fund for environmental clean-up costs following cessation of mining operations.
Environmental Protection
KazakhGold continues to invest in its operations to ensure that the Group meets environmental standards in Kazakhstan. It has established a dedicated department with responsibility for ensuring compliance with all environmental responsibilities .
In the third quarter of 2005 the Group installed new equipment for the removal of solid particles from air emissions at the boiler facility at the Zholymbet mine. This is expected to reduce the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere by up to 85%. In addition, the Group has recently installed new scrubbers, which assist in the removal of hazardous or harmful substances from emissions, at the Aksu mine.
The Group is evaluating the feasibility of using certain types of production waste, such as ash and slag, in construction, as well as reinforcing the walls of the tailing dams with waste rock extracted from the mines. The Group is also considering reclamation plans for its tailings disposal areas and open-pit mines.