Navoiuran vows plans to attract technologies from China Nuclear Uranium (CNUC) to develop black shale-type uranium deposits, the company’s said in a statement.
The CNUC delegation got acquainted with several uranium deposits that are part of the Navoiuran resource base. Reportedly, at the meeting with Chinese delegation, the parties discussed the choice of technologies for developing black shale uranium mines and prospects for cooperation. Technological samples were taken from these deposits to extract uranium and rare earth metals from the mined uranium ore.
Since the early 2000s, Uzbekistan has been trying to attract foreign investors to develop black shale-type uranium deposits, which require significant investments due to the need to extract other metals from the ore. A significant part of Navouran's resources includes sandstone-type uranium deposits, which are more accessible for development.
In July 2022, the president Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved uranium production targets; they are planned to be increased to 7,100 tons in 2030 (twice as much as in 2022). According to the IAEA, Uzbekistan ranks seventh in the world in terms of uranium reserves and fifth in its production.
