Uzbekistan plans to start mining lithium

TASHKENT. April 26 (Interfax) - Uzbekistan plans to start mining lithium, Deputy Mining and Geology Minister Azam Kadirkhojaev said.

"There is a large lithium deposit in Uzbekistan. We are preparing to start mining and processing this metal in the country," Kadirkhojaev said at the Innoprom Central Asia exhibition on Wednesday in Tashkent.

Uzbekistan's biggest lithium deposit, Shavazsay, is located in the Tashkent region, with reserves thought to exceed 123,000 tonnes.

A Mining and Geology Ministry official said the ministry generally considered the development of so-called "technology metals" in the republic to be promising.