Mining - The Times Of Central Asia

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New Era of Mining Starts in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan will soon be issuing licenses for mining critical raw materials (CRM), which would have been almost unthinkable five years ago. However, a lot has changed in Kyrgyzstan, where a new president came to power in late 2020 and has since radically changed the form of leadership and is seeking new sources of revenue. A lot has changed in the world also, as governments are realizing the importance of CRMs for their economies and are scrambling to find supplies. Past Experiences Kyrgyzstan does not have significant reserves of natural gas or oil as most of the other Central Asian countries do. It was clear from the first days of independence that Kyrgyzstan’s main source of export revenue would come from mining, and Kyrgyzstan has significant deposits of CRMs. The Kumtor gold mine, 4,000-meters high in the mountains on the south part of the massive Lake Issyk-Kul, quickly became the economic savior for a country where most exports were agricultural products. Initial estimates put gold reserves at Kumtor at some 514 tons, but subsequent exploration revealed more gold at the site. Kumtor was a joint venture with Canadian company Cameco, but over time Cameco acquired nearly 75% of the project. There was environmental damage at the site that almost completely destroyed two nearby glaciers - Davidov and Lysiy. The most infamous incident involving Kumtor occurred in May 1998, when a Kumtor truck overturned into the Barskoon River, dumping nearly two tons of sodium cyanide into the water. Thousands of people were evacuated from area, several died, and business at Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan’s premier tourst attraction, plummetted. The example of environmental problems at Kumtor turned public opinion in Kyrgyzstan against mining projects. Some 20 year later, the issue again came to the fore over the Kyzyl-Ompol uranium site in the Tong district of Issyl-Kul Province. In April 2019, nearly 30,000 people signed a petition to halt work at Kyzyl-Ompol. Anti-mining sentiment grew and by October 31, 2019, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament approved a moratorium on exploration and extraction of uranium and thorium that was signed into law in December that year. Something Everyone Wants The European Commission wrote that CRMs are crucial for “producing a broad range of goods and applications used in everyday life and modern technologies,” and noted, “Reliable and unhindered access to certain raw materials is a growing concern within the EU and across the globe.” Additionally, the attempts by many nations to wean themselves off fossil fuels have led to a surge in countries seeking to construct nuclear power plants (NPP) to meet their energy needs. There are currently some 440 operating NPPs in the world, 60 new reactors are under construction, and another 110 are planned to be built. Current President Sadyr Japarov rose to power after Kyrgyzstan’s revolution in 2020. Japarov, who is from the Issyk-Kul area, was an opponent of foreign ownership of the Kumtor gold mine, and in 2021 his government forced out Canadian company Centerra (which took over from Cameco in 2004). Kumtor was...

Mystery and Intrigue Behind the Death of Inessa Papernaya

Further details have come to light which shroud the death of Inessa Papernaya in yet more mystery. As reported by TCA yesterday, Papernaya and her companion were found dead in a Tashkent hotel on October 20, along with an Uzbek man in a neighboring room whom media sources initially referred to simply as U.Kh. It has since come to light that this person was Khushnud Udekov, a well-known 48-year-old businessman from the Khorezm region whose private gas company was liquidated. Initially, reports stated that Papernaya was a Russian journalist known for her work with lenta.ru and profile.ru. It was also reported that Papernaya was in Uzbekistan on vacation, and was staying at the Karaman Palace Hotel with her fiancé, Maxim Radchenko, whom she had traveled with in order to meet his relatives. However, Papernaya’s last post for either of these publications came in 2019, since when she had become an employee of the Russian mining company, Norilsk Nickel. According to accounts surrounding the death of Papernaya and Radchenko, hotel staff knocked on the door of their room after the couple, who were supposed to have returned to Moscow, stopped answering the phone. Receiving no response, staff entered the room, where they discovered the bodies of the pair in the bathroom. “When she didn’t answer her phone at 11 PM, I felt something was wrong,” Papernaya’s mother told the media. “I knew something had happened.” The body of Udekov was subsequently found in the room directly below, with some local publications speculating that the businessman may have been the target of a contract killing. Preliminary reports attributed the cause of the deaths to poisoning of “unknown origin,” with early suggestions being made that gas seeped into the room through the ventilation system after the hotel’s pool was cleaned on October 19-20, leading to the incident. The hotel where the incident occurred was also still under construction, and the first floor was stuffed with building materials and furniture. Following the gruesome discovery, authorities sealed off the Karaman Palace Hotel. The Prosecutor General’s Office of Uzbekistan launched an investigation under Article 186 of the Uzbek Criminal Code, which covers the provision of unsafe services, and a forensic examination was ordered to determine the precise causes of death. According to Hayat Shamsutdinov, the press secretary of Uzbekistan's Prosecutor General 's Office, the exact cause of death will be determined after a thorough examination, the results of which are expected in about a month. Forensic expert Alexey Reshetun, however, has stated that it is “extremely difficult to imagine that two adults would die in a single room as a result of gas entering through the ventilation.” Relatives of Radchenko, meanwhile, have disputed what they describe as several different versions of the deaths which have been put forward. Radchenko’s sister stated that the family were initially told “he had an epileptic seizure; she ran up to him, slipped, fell, hit her head and died. This is some kind of TV series: how do you fall? What...

Gold mining in central asia

Changing Volumes of Gold Mined in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

According to data issued by the U.S. Geological Service, in 2023, 130 tons of gold were mined in Kazakhstan and 100 tons in Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan's volume increased by 15 tons compared to 2022, whilst Uzbekistan's decreased by 4 tons. Russia produced 310 tons of gold, equivalent to that mined the previous year. Worldwide, 3,600 tons of gold were produced in 2023, 60 tons less than in 2022. The U.S. Geological Survey has yet to release the latest estimate of gold production in Kyrgyzstan but according to data, the country mined 25.3 tons in 2022. As of September 1, Uzbekistan’s international reserves reached $39.15 billion; a record indicator since data disclosure began in 2018. The National Bank of Kazakhstan counts the country’s gold and foreign exchange reserves in February 2024 at $36.1 billion. In 2014, this indicator was at $26.05 billion, meaning that over the past ten years, the volume of gross international reserves has increased by $10 billion (+38.6%).

Kyrgyzstan Begins Development of Large Titanomagnetite Deposit

Kyrgyzstan has begun developing its largest titanomagnetite deposit, Kyzyl-Ompol, in the Issyk-Kul region. Speaking at the launch ceremony on September 25, the Chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers, Akylbek Japarov, emphasized that the state will develop and finance this strategic deposit. "This is a very important event for Kyrgyzstan. The Kyzyl-Ompol deposit contains millions of tons of titanomagnetite. Titanium is valuable in various industries, including medicine, aviation, and space. The development of this deposit will allow us not only to increase exports but also to create new jobs, which will give an impetus to developing the country's economy," Japarov said. Japarov also emphasized the importance of an environmentally friendly approach to the deposit's development, saying that technologies used to extract titanomagnetite will guarantee the safe extraction of associated minerals such as uranium and thorium. Early in June, the Kyrgyz parliament approved a government bill lifting a ban on the mining of uranium and thorium that had been in place since 2019. The move caused environmental concerns in Kyrgyz society, as the country still works on the rehabilitation and conservation of radioactive uranium waste sites left over from the Soviet era. The ban was lifted to start the mining of titanomagnetite, which is accompanied by uranium and thorium. The government plans to process both elements at the Kara-Balta Mining Combine, some 100 km west of Bishkek.

The Government of Tajikistan and FLSmidth to Cooperate in Mining

Sherali Kabir, Minister of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan, and Peter Flanagan, representative of the transnational company FLSmidth have signed a memorandum of cooperation in the mining sector. FLSmidth is one of the world's leading mining equipment suppliers. During their meeting, the parties exchanged views on priority areas of cooperation in the mining sector and the development of joint projects in the mining industry and under the memorandum, will form a working group to instigate plans. It was noted that 93% of Tajikistan's territory is occupied by mountains possessing essential breakthrough minerals, including lithium, copper, antimony, and others.

Mining Minerals International investment

Kyrgyzstan Promotes Investment in Mineral Resources

On June 19, Bishkek hosted the 10th mining and geological forum “MINEX Central Asia” with the participation of over 100 companies from 22 countries of Central Asia, Europe, China, North America, and the Middle East. Addressing the forum, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Akylbek Japarov reported that 95% of the territory of Kyrgyzstan consists of mountains, the depths of which are rich in minerals, not only gold and coal, but also iron (one section of one deposit alone, contains over 5 billion tons of ore), titanium, and high in demand rare earth metals such as europium, zirconium, cesium, and group of lanthanides. Citing examples, the prime minister said that the predicted reserves of titanomagnetite in just one area of the Kyzyl-Ompol deposit, amount to some 20 million tons, and the reserves of rare earth metals, including more than 21 elements, at Kutessay-2 deposit, to around 60 thousand tons. “These reserves were recorded more than 50 years ago, and there is an opinion among authoritative geologists and scientists that these figures could increase significantly following more detailed geological exploration using new technological solutions. We invite partners to engage in joint geological exploration and are seeking investors in this promising sector of the economy – mining,” explained Japarov. Regarding Kyrgyzstan’s current climate, which ultimately determines its attraction to investors, he stated: “Political stability has been achieved through the improvement of our country’s economic situation. We have achieved a sharp reduction in the shadow economy, an increase in tax revenues and customs duties and, accordingly, an increase in wages for teachers, medical doctors, cultural workers, an increase in the [economic] activity of impoverished citizens, and a tough fight against corruption and crime. As a result, 82% of the population supports the course set by the country's leadership, headed by the President; a fact substantiated by the International Republican Institute (IRI).” In conclusion, he remarked, “Our people are experiencing improvements across the board – and after- three revolutions, we are focused on creating a better economy for our country.”