Kyrgyzstan: Environmentalists raise alarm about resumption of uranium mining, 18 June 2024

Environmental activists in Kyrgyzstan are worried about the rising potential for a disaster following the parliament’s decision to resume uranium mining after a five-year hiatus. 

The Kyrgyz parliament, the Jogorku Kenesh, earlier in June approved a government bill to lift a ban on the mining of uranium and thorium that had been in place since 2019. The new rules will go into effect after the law is signed by President Sadyr Japarov, as is widely expected soon. 

In pushing for a resumption of mining, the government contended that uranium production could supply a much needed financial infusion for the Kyrgyz economy, which has struggled to overcome disruption caused by the Covid pandemic and Russian sanctions. Japarov has stated the resumption of mining could create a $2 billion windfall for state coffers. 

...Kyrgyzstan has a number of known uranium deposits that have not been exploited since the ban went into effect. Some of the largest deposits are found in environmentally sensitive areas, including adjacent to Lake Issyk-Kul, which is widely viewed by citizens as “the pearl of Kyrgyzstan.”

...The government’s embrace of uranium mining and nuclear power has environmentalists on edge. The prospect of a nuclear reactor operating in a country prone to earthquakes is unsettling to many. Beyond the threats posed by a natural calamity, Kyrgyzstan’s poor safety record in containing the toxic consequences of mining for precious metals, including gold and uranium, is another major concern. Popular protests against environmental contamination, after all, were what prompted the government to press pause on uranium mining back in 2019.

...In May of this year, a group of Kyrgyzstani activists appealed to the Ministry of Environment, warning that the resumption of uranium mining could exacerbate already existing environmental challenges. “They are citing figures of up to $2 billion in profits from [uranium mining], but no one is saying what the cost of restoring the destroyed lands will be,” the activists wrote.