TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 8. Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia (ERA) allocated grant of €9 million ($9.6 million) to help remediate former uranium mining sites in Uzbekistan, Trend reports.
This financial support will be used towards closing of mine shafts, the removal of abandoned uranium ore processing facilities, and the rehabilitation of specific waste rock areas at the Yangiabad and Charkesar mines.
After all this is done with, the region is believed to become more environmentally sustainable, allowing for better development of local tourism.
Established under the initiative of the European Union and managed by EBRD, ERA has previously allocated funds for the restoration of the five out of seven high-priority sites in Central Asia, with three of them located in the Kyrgyz Republic and two in Uzbekistan.
In 2022, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) invested almost $900 million in 26 projects in Uzbekistan, making it the leading recipient of its funding in Central Asia for the third year in a row. The EBRD has invested almost €3.9 billion in 128 projects across the country as of January 2023.