Uzbekistan taps rare materials with greener methods to support global supply chains

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Uzbekistan taps rare materials with greener methods to support global supply chains  Uzbekistan is ramping up its mining exports — including uranium — to meet global demand for rare materials. From cleaner extraction techniques to foreign partnerships, the country is positioning itself as a reliable supplier in the energy transition supply chain.  In partnership with Agency of Information and Mass Communications of Uzbekistan  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/07/22/uzbekistan-taps-rare-materials-with-greener-methods-to-support-global-supply-chains  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00Gold, silver, copper, uranium. Uzbekistan is blessed with abundant natural resources.

00:10Critical to digital and green energy transitions, the country is expanding mining and exports.

00:17How can it be done sustainably and how does Europe stand to benefit?

00:24Hello and welcome to the programme.

00:27Right now, Uzbekistan is exploring or developing 487 mineral deposits,

00:35with foreign investors involved in 27 projects being implemented this year.

00:41By 2030, annual exports of mining products will be worth 2.3 billion euros,

00:48including uranium used for nuclear energy, which last year made up 730 million euros of exports.

00:56We've been to a new uranium project to find out more.

01:05Deep in the desert of Uzbekistan's Novoi region, rich reserves of uranium lie hidden in the ground.

01:15Valuable resources that are being tapped by a joint French-Uzbek venture.

01:20We have two licenses, Sars-Gengeldi, Nars-Gengeldi.

01:25Sars-Gengeldi is ready for production.

01:27Nars-Gengeldi, you can see here, is under exploration.

01:30It will come as well to production within a few years.

01:37Exploration means drilling and probing,

01:40and then extracting cylindrical-shaped samples or cores to isolate the uranium.

01:49It's difficult to see because uranium is very small.

01:53After we take the sampling, we will send it to the laboratory.

01:57If we find it's a good result, it's good for our team and our company.

02:01At least 10,000 tons of uranium is expected to be extracted as part of the overall project,

02:12and it will be mined using a special technique called in-situ leaching.

02:19In-situ leaching is one of the environmental-friendly methods

02:23because it does not require open-pit.

02:27We use wells, and we pour into the ore body acidic or alkaline solutions,

02:34which dissolve uranium, and then they are brought back to the surface and then processed.

02:43Uzbekistan's Novoi Uran, a state-owned mining enterprise,

02:47is working with the French company Arano as part of the joint venture.

02:52There's also a Japanese partner, the Otochu Corporation,

02:57which has a minority stake in the project.

03:02Uzbekistan is one of the major players in uranium.

03:05They are a huge producer of uranium worldwide.

03:08They produce uranium for more than 60 years,

03:11so it is an important country in uranium production.

03:13It was interesting for Arano to come and to join this country.

03:17The idea is to stay on the long term in Uzbekistan to develop this partnership.

03:22Global demand for green energy is increasing,

03:26and Uzbekistan is well-positioned as a reliable partner.

03:30We believe that the international best practices which we apply,

03:34in geology up to the final production,

03:37they comply with the demands of investors,

03:42and we hope that there will be more investors

03:45which are interested in this uranium production.

03:54Let's speak now to Roman Valkulchuk

03:56from the Norwegian Institute of International Relations,

04:00who's in Oslo.

04:01How do you think Uzbekistan can sustainably develop this sector?

04:05I know that the government is currently building partnerships

04:07with different international organizations

04:09with respect to adopting high environmental standards.

04:14We know how widespread is the use of the OECD standards

04:17when it comes to due diligence,

04:19and also safety standards in mining and processing of critical materials.

04:24What do you think it all means for Europe's green energy transition?

04:27We know that, well, for the EU, for its grid deal plans,

04:31the supply of critical materials from Uzbekistan can be very important

04:34because those metals and minerals are used in the production of solar panels,

04:38wind turbines, storage facilities, batteries, also electric cars.

04:43So I believe that partnership would be quite beneficial for both sides.

04:47Roman, thank you for joining us.

04:49Well, that's all we have time for in this edition,

04:51but there's more business news at euronews.com.

04:54Thanks for watching and bye for now.

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