BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, June 13. The parliament of Kyrgyzstan has approved a bill lifting the ban on uranium and thorium mining in the country, Trend reports.
The parliament gave the bill the green light, effectively throwing out the 2019 law that put a lid on any activities connected to geological exploration, prospecting, and development of uranium and thorium deposits in Kyrgyzstan. In the second and third readings, 70 deputies gave it the thumbs up, while merely 8 gave it the thumbs down.
Kyrgyzstan's Cabinet of Ministers initiated the bill. To reduce
the environmental effect of mining operations, the state will
examine contemporary uranium and thorium extraction technologies in
tandem with the passage of the law. Should such technology be
found, state authorities will mandate that mining businesses adopt
it.
The bill is meant to develop titanomagnetite reserves, not uranium
and thorium deposits, stressed Cabinet of Ministers Chairman
Akylbek Japarov.
To note, a moratorium on these activities was introduced in Kyrgyzstan in 2019. In February 2024, President Sadyr Japarov discussed plans to develop the Kyzyl Ompol deposit with residents of the Tong and Kochkor districts.
