Uzbekistan’s state uranium producer Navoiyuran has commenced full commercial production at the Kizilkok deposit in Navoiy Region, following a pilot industrial phase that began in December 2024, the company’s press service has confirmed.
The deposit is being developed using in-situ leaching with gaseous oxygen as the oxidising agent in a mini-reagent technology process. Navoiyuran says the approach allows significantly more uranium to be extracted while reducing production costs by a factor of two to three compared with conventional methods.
Kizilkok holds uranium reserves of 9,400 tonnes and resources of approximately 10,900 tonnes, making it the third-largest asset in Navoiyuran’s portfolio after the Sugrali deposit at 20,800 tonnes and Uchkuduk at 14,800 tonnes. Mining at the site is planned to continue for 15 years, with annual extraction of up to 1,200 tonnes of uranium at peak capacity. The company also notes that the northern part of the licence area holds potential for further resource expansion.
The commissioning of Kizilkok follows a year of strong output growth: Navoiyuran increased uranium production by 35% in 2025, reaching 7,000 tonnes. The expansion is set to continue in 2026 with the planned launch of three additional deposits — Arnasay, Yuzhny Zhongeldi and Vostochny Agron — alongside Western Kizilkok. The company has indicated that the increase in mining volumes will be accompanied by a corresponding expansion of processing capacity.
