The past year brought several landmark developments for Uzbekistan’s extractive industry, ranging from new discoveries to large-scale industrial expansion and digital transformation.
In September, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the discovery of a giant gas deposit on the Ustyurt Plateau. For the first time in the country’s history, exploration drilling in the area reached depths of 6.5 km. While technical details of the find have not yet been disclosed, exploration work in the region is being carried out by Uzbekneftegaz in partnership with Azerbaijan’s SOCAR.
Industrial expansion was led by Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex, one of the country’s largest resource producers. In October, the company launched the first processing line of its new MOF-3 concentrator. Once all lines are commissioned by 2026, the facility is expected to process up to 60 million tonnes of ore annually, producing 894,000 tonnes of copper concentrate and 1,500 tonnes of molybdenum concentrate. AMMC says MOF-3 will become the largest copper production facility in Central Asia.
The company also commissioned its own emulsion explosives plant with a capacity of 90,000 tonnes per year, supporting expanded drilling and blasting operations at the Yoshlik I deposit. In addition, AMMC became the first producer in Uzbekistan to introduce an automated fleet management system at the Kalmakyr and Yoshlik I open pits.
Another key milestone came in April, when Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Company put into operation a new mine shaft at the Zarmitan gold deposit. The “Skipovoy” shaft, 6.5 meters in diameter and 1 km deep, will increase ore transport to Hydrometallurgical Plant No. 4 by 1.4 million tonnes per year.
At the policy level, the government also announced plans to implement 76 projects focused on rare and rare earth metals, with total investments estimated at $2.6 billion.
