The Parliament of Kyrgyzstan, at the initiative of the head of state, is preparing to lift the moratorium on the development of uranium and thorium deposits in Kyrgyzstan. The idea does not cause much enthusiasm among the population.
Uranium tailings remained from the republic’s Soviet past still remind of themselves and have not been fully rehabilitated.
Almost the whole world is helping the country fight the consequences of hazardous industries.
Among others, the Russian Rosatom State Corporation is dealing with the problem. It has implemented several projects in the republic and is ready to invest additional funds in solving the problem.
How many tailings Kyrgyzstan has?
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Kyrgyzstan has a total of 92 tailing dumps and mining dumps. The Ministry of Emergency Situations manages 33 tailing dumps and 25 mining dumps with a total waste volume of 11.9 million cubic meters, including 5,840 million cubic meters — radioactive waste, 5.7 million cubic meters — toxic waste.
The rest of the objects are on the balance sheet of economic entities.
Tailing dumps in the republic were closed from 1966 to 1973. Many objects are located in populated areas, basins of transboundary rivers.
How tailings are rehabilitated
Bakytbek Asankulov, head of the Tailings Management Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, told that Kyrgyzstan has been implementing a program on rehabilitation of uranium heritage sites since 2012. Work on the first site began in 2018. These are the tailing dumps in Kadzhi-Sai. The work is being carried out by Rosatom.
Vasily Tinin, Director for State Policy in the field of Radioactive Waste, Spent Nuclear Fuel and Decommissioning of Nuclear and Radiation Hazardous Facilities at Rosatom, noted that the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the examples of successful deployment of work.
«I will say right away that the beginning was not very good. But then everything went as it should, even with an anticipatory effect. And, most importantly, we have further work plans. As of today, several objects have been completed. Work is underway on one of them, and there are plans for several more objects in 2024. Having experience, we expand the scope of work and the rehabilitated area for practically the same money,» he said.
Bakytbek Asankulov that that today the work on the rehabilitation of uranium heritage sites in Min-Kush settlement has been completed. The project was implemented in 2019-2021. But these were not tailing dumps, but objects of the industrial zone and uranium heritage. Full reclamation was carried out there.
The same work was carried out in Shekaftar settlement of Chatkal district. «We moved six mining uranium dumps outside the settlement. One of the objects was located near a school. Therefore, the work was carried out very safely,» the representative of the Ministry of Emergency Situations said.
This year it is planned to finish the fourth object, which is located near Mailuu-Suu.
«It is located near a populated area, so special attention is paid to transportation safety. We’re taking things slow. The work has been temporarily suspended. We plan to resume it in April-May and completely finish work at the object by the end of the year,» Bakytbek Asankulov noted.
Rosatom State Corporation notes that all these works have one thing in common. They help solve several issues at once. Infrastructure is being created not only to rehabilitate the site, but new workers and professions appear. An eco-monitoring system is being deployed, which shows the population what impact the site has on the environment during the works. This information is open, published, discussed with the population.
«All environmental and social aspects are in the scope of our attention when rehabilitating such areas. The level of technology has grown to such an extent that to date everywhere the trend is to reuse as much as possible those products that are used in reclamation, decommission and, if possible, involve territories for reuse as much as possible,» Vasily Tinin said.
Work with Rosatom will continue
Earlier this week, it became known that Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin approved a draft Russian-Kyrgyz intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the rehabilitation of the territories of the Kyrgyz Republic affected by uranium mining and mining operations.
Rosatom State Corporation will continue to deal with rehabilitation issues. All works will be carried out at the expense of the Russian side.
It is planned to rehabilitate five sites within the framework of the agreement with the Russian Federation.
«In the summer we will start the implementation. We have two events coming together. We have to finish one project and at the same time start the next one. There is an understanding of how to do it, the Ministry of Finance will allocate money for it. Now we are signing the necessary papers between the two countries,» Vasily Tinin added.
