TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 2. French Orano nuclear fuel cycle company is interested in expanding cooperation with Uzbekistan, Trend reports.
The news followed a meeting between the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the chairman of Orano Claude Imoven on the sidelines of the Uzbek-French business forum, held within the framework of President of France Emmanuel Macron's visit to Uzbekistan’s Samarkand.
The meeting supported initiatives to expand cooperation in the field of exploration and production of uranium.
Meanwhile, a trilateral agreement has been signed between Uzbekistan’s State Committee for Geology and Mineral Resources, Uzbekistan’s Navoiuran state enterprise and the French Orano in November of 2022.
The document provides for the intensification of joint work on the extraction and processing of uranium, as well as building an industrial chain for the production of nuclear fuel.
Moreover, Nurlikum Mining, a joint venture for the exploration and production of uranium in the Navoi region, established by Orano and the State Committee for Geology has been operating in Uzbekistan since December 2019.
At the end of 2021, 3,526 tons of uranium were mined in Uzbekistan. In 2022-2030, production is planned to be doubled to 7,100 tons.