On September 1, the grant agreement was signed by Balthazar Lindauer, Director of the EBRD Nuclear Safety Department, and Narzullo Oblomurodov, Chairman of the State Committee for Ecology and Environmental Protection of Uzbekistan.
According to the press service of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Uzbekistan will receive 7 million euros for the reclamation of two former uranium mines in Yangiabad, Tashkent province and Charkesar, Namangan province.
The project will be implemented in 2022-2025. The cash will be provided by the Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia (CRA), a multilateral fund managed by the EBRD.
According to the press service of the State Committee for Ecology and Environmental Protection, the SER will allocate 9 million euros in total. The first contract worth 2 million euros was signed back in 2021.
It is noted that Yangiabad was a uranium mining site for almost 40 years. Planned work at the Yangiabad site will include the closure of four mines, the demolition of contaminated buildings and processing facilities, and the removal of several waste rock dumps. The project will also be aimed at supporting the development of the tourism industry in Yangiabad.
Charkesar of Namangan province was a uranium mining site until 1995, about 3,500 people still live in the territory of this village. Planned works on this site will include closing two shafts and reconstructing two water intake canals.
