The law lifting the ban on exploiting uranium and thorium deposits in Kyrgyzstan was signed by the President of the Republic, Sadyr Japarov, according to the press service of the President of Kyrgyzstan on June 27.
“Sadyr Japarov signed… [закон о…] invalidation [закона] “On the prohibition of activities related to the geological study of the subsoil for the purposes of search, exploration and exploitation of uranium and thorium deposits in the Kyrgyz Republic””the message said.
This is mainly the Tash-Bulak field of the Kyzyl-Ompol group.
Recall that in 2019 in Kyrgyzstan, environmentalists organized protests against the development of the Tash-Bulak deposit, under the pretext that the deposit is considered uranium-thorium and is located near Lake Issyk-Kul. As a result of the protests, the republic’s parliament approved a law prohibiting the development of uranium and thorium deposits.
However, a study of archival data published in 2020 showed that geological surveys carried out several times during Soviet times showed a uranium content in the deposit’s ore less than 0.1%, which is below the break-even threshold. with any modern technology.
However, the same geological studies showed that the deposit’s ore contains large amounts of titanium-magnetite, and in fact the deposit is not uranium, but titanium. However, the development of the field never began during the Soviet era.
After studying the archival data, Sadyr Japarov met with representatives of local residents of the area. In April 2024, the parliament of the republic adopted a law repealing the previous ban on the development of uranium and thorium deposits. This is exactly what the president signed into law.
Let us also remember that, according to Kyrgyz law, only state-owned companies can exploit such deposits. However, foreign companies with the right skills and technologies can act as contractors. According to experts, the most suitable contractor to carry out this type of work in this area is the geological division of Rosatom.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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