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Plans for expanding production and implementing new projects in the mining industry were considered
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on the priority tasks for 2026 and the further plans of the Navoiuran enterprise and the joint-stock company Uzbek Technological Metals Plant.
Today, demand for critical minerals and metals is growing rapidly around the world. Thus, while demand for traditional metals increases by an average of 1 percent a year, the market for critical minerals is growing by 10 percent. Based on this, large-scale work is being carried out in our country to efficiently use the existing mineral resource base, produce high value-added products, and increase export potential.
At the beginning of the presentation, the activities of the joint-stock company Uzbek Technological Metals Plant and its development plans were reviewed.
Particular attention at the plant is being paid to creating a complete technological chain — from geological exploration and extraction to beneficiation, deep processing of raw materials, and the production of finished goods.
By the end of this year, it is planned to launch 12 investment projects, expand the range of localized products, and increase the production of high-purity selenium and tellurium.
The Head of our state instructed that the implementation of promising projects in the field of critical minerals be accelerated and, in addition to the 5 mastered types of products (tungsten, molybdenum, selenium, tellurium, and rhenium), production of 11 more — nickel, cobalt, graphite, antimony, tin, manganese, platinum, vanadium, mercury, and copper — be established. The importance of broad implementation of scientific achievements in the industry and the identification of additional mineral reserves was emphasized.
According to the plans, by 2030 the production volume of 16 types of critical raw materials should exceed 2.7 billion dollars.
Particular attention was given to major deep-processing projects for tungsten. To implement them, it is planned to attract 1.1 billion dollars in investment and bring production volume to nearly 2.2 billion dollars by 2030.
Proposals were also considered for developing promising deposits rich in rare and rare-earth elements, expanding the plant’s resource base, and accelerating the implementation of investment projects.
During the presentation, the current activities and development plans of the Navoiuran enterprise were also reviewed.
As noted, in recent years demand for uranium raw materials on the global market has increased by 15-20 percent. And by 2030, growth of another 28 percent is expected.
In such conditions, increasing uranium production volumes in the country, developing new deposits, improving production efficiency, and ensuring the stable supply of the uranium industry with the necessary resources become especially important.
To this end, this year it is planned to expand geological exploration and technological drilling, develop production infrastructure, commission additional sorption units, and create 250 new jobs.
An important role in increasing the enterprise’s production volumes is played by supplies of the necessary chemical reagents. In this regard, measures to strengthen cooperation between domestic industrial enterprises and increase supplies of technical sulfur, sulfuric acid, and nitric acid were reported.
The President of our country emphasized the need to expand the use of alternative technologies in production processes. In particular, by 2030 it is planned to bring the share of reagents replacing sulfuric acid to 40 percent.
Overall, through the implementation of these measures and new production capacities, it is planned to increase uranium production from 7.5 thousand tons in the current year to 15 thousand tons by 2030, as well as bring the volume of explored reserves to 200 thousand tons.
At the end of the presentation, instructions were given to the responsible officials to ensure the timely implementation of investment projects, strengthen the mineral resource base of enterprises, launch new technological capacities, increase the output of high value-added products, and expand exports.
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