Uzbekistan is launching 12 investment projects in critical metals this year with combined investment of $166 million, marking the first domestic production of high-purity selenium, tellurium and rhenium in the country’s history alongside 21 new categories of import-substituting products, according to the press service of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The 2026 initiatives are part of a broader industrial programme targeting 120 projects by 2030 with combined investment of $4.2 billion. Production volumes in monetary terms are projected to reach $1 billion by 2028 and $2 billion by 2030, according to a presentation delivered to the President this week. The plan foresees developing up to 28 critical minerals at industrial scale through the exploitation of promising deposits and the creation of modern processing infrastructure.
The Uzbek Technological Metals Complex currently produces primarily tungsten and molybdenum. A central objective of the expanded programme is moving beyond raw material exports to downstream products — metal powders, alloys, rods, wire and industrial components — capturing significantly more value per tonne of ore extracted.
The city of Chirchik will serve as the transformation hub for the sector. A Metals of the Future technopark and a dedicated research and development centre will be established there, with measures to facilitate the commercialisation of scientific advances, a startup support programme, and production of high-purity metals and innovative materials. A scientific and technology centre for critical minerals will also be established within the cluster, housing a laboratory capable of conducting nanoanalysis on up to 1,000 samples per day and providing analytical support to geological, mining and metallurgical projects across the country.
