Local company licensed to develop uranium deposit in Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK. Aug 1 (Interfax) - Kyrgyzstan's state-run company Kyrgyzaltyn has been licensed to develop a uranium deposit in the country, the company's Deputy Board Chairman Narynbek Satybaldiyev said at a press conference on Thursday.

"Kyrgyzaltyn has been licensed to conduct geological exploration and develop the Tash-Bulak block of the Kyzyl-Ompol deposit," Satybaldiyev said.

The deposit mostly consists of titanomagnetite, alongside uranium, phosphorus and zirconium, he said.

"The integrated development of the group of metals and minerals of the Kyzyl-Ompol deposit meets the interests of Kyrgyzstan. We got the license just yesterday, so no work is being done there now. We must draw up a project and pass an examination before we can start working. We are considering the option of developing it ourselves, but we do not rule out an investor. The decision will be made with due account of economic and national interests of Kyrgyzstan," Satybaldiyev said.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov lifted the uranium development moratorium on June 27.

The uranium and thorium mining moratorium was imposed after the scandal around the Kyzyl-Ompol deposit near Lake Issyk-Kul. After it became known that UrAsia in Kyrgyzstan had received a license and begun geological exploration in spring 2019, residents protested and demanded that the group stop developing the deposit. In the end, the parliament approved a ban on uranium mining in Kyrgyzstan.

Five years later, in February 2024, Japarov raised the question of uranium mining at a meeting with residents of several populated localities in the Issyk-Kul and Naryn regions. He said the project was highly lucrative for the country.

According to public information, the Kyzyl-Ompol deposit contains 14.7 million tonnes of ore, while titanomagnetite accounts for 95% of the total amount, phosphorus for approximately 3%, zirconium for almost 2%, thorium for 0.22%, and uranium for 0.17%.