Assembly meeting in Tashkent and visit of construction site in Yangiabad - G.E.O.S. presents current progress of remediation projects in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan

On 07.09.2023, the Assembly Meeting of the EBRD and the ERA Fund took place in Tashkent. The meeting is held annually - this year, the EBRD chose the Republic of Uzbekistan as the ERA Fund-financed remediation works of the Charkesar and Yangiabad properties are currently underway there. The former uranium mining sites from Soviet times are currently being permanently rehabilitated under the supervision of experts from the G.E.O.S. branch WISUTEC and will be in the next few years.

In addition to representatives of the main donors of the ERA Fund from the European Union, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland and the USA, the beneficiaries from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as well as representatives of UNDP, IAEA and OSCE were invited.

At the meeting, the EBRD and the G.E.O.S. project leaders reported on the progress of the project and on current developments at the Mailuu-Suu site in Kyrgyzstan. There, the dismantling work of former ore processing facilities and the custody of the shafts and adits started in September 2023. The preparation of the next steps, such as the relocation of three slurry ponds, is being pushed forward at a fast pace.

 

Visit to the Yangiabad rehabilitation project in Uzbekistan

After the assembly meeting in Tashkent, the ambassadors of France, Italy, USA, Switzerland, Estonia, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary as well as representatives of the EBRD, the European Union, UNDP, IAEA, OSCE and beneficiaries from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan made a short visit to the construction site of the rehabilitation object in Yangiabad in Uzbekistan on 8 and 9 September 2023.

On site, the project managers of G.E.O.S. presented four active construction objects. In addition to the construction progress, radiation protection and occupational health and safety topics were also discussed. The remediation work, with a total volume of approximately 6.4 million euros, began in 2023. So far, G.E.O.S. has carried out all engineering investigations and planned the remediation on site and in cooperation with Uzbek specialists. Currently, 50 per cent of the work has already been completed. Completion will take place in the course of 2024.

G.E.O.S. and its specialists have been permanently on site since November 2021. The engineers are very familiar with the central Asian region and support the Uzbek partners on site with their expertise.

--------

EBRD: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

ERA-Fonds: The Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia

UNDP: United Nations Development Programme

IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency

OSCE: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe