As the United States works to diversify its critical-mineral supply chains, a massive tungsten development in Kazakhstan is moving closer to becoming a significant source of the important metal.
Cove Kaz Capital Group is combining with Skyline Builders Group, with the combined company expected to operate as Kaz Resources Inc. and continue trading on Nasdaq under the ticker KAZR.
Paul Mann, Executive Chairman of Skyline Builders, is helping lead the company’s transformation toward critical minerals and nuclear fuels, with a focus on supplying U.S. and allied markets.
For Mann, the project represents an opportunity to address a growing challenge facing the United States and its allies: securing reliable access to minerals essential to modern industry and national security.
At the centre of the company’s strategy is the Severniy Katpar tungsten project, one of the world’s largest undeveloped tungsten resources.
The project contains approximately 1.4 million tonnes of tungsten trioxide, with a projected mine life of more than 50 years.
Planned annual production is expected to equal roughly 15 per cent of current global tungsten production, a metal used in applications ranging from defence and aerospace to industrial manufacturing and energy technologies.
Its importance has grown as the United States works to strengthen domestic and allied supply chains for critical minerals.
China currently controls roughly 80 per cent of global tungsten supply, while the United States has not produced tungsten domestically since 2015.
New U.S. Department of Defense sourcing restrictions scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027, are adding urgency to efforts to establish alternative sources of supply.
The project also arrives at a time of growing cooperation between the United States and Kazakhstan on critical minerals.
U.S. government agencies have expressed significant interest in supporting its development, including indicative financing interest of up to US$900 million from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and up to US$700 million from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
Site preparation began in 2026, and drilling and feasibility work are underway as the project advances toward its planned development and construction timeline.
With financing interest from major U.S. agencies, early site work already underway and a looming Pentagon deadline, the company appears positioned to move quickly.
