TASHKENT. Nov 2 (Interfax) - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with Claude Imauven, CEO of the French company Orano, on the sidelines of the Uzbek-French business forum held in Samarkand on Thursday, the Uzbek leader's press service said.
"The meeting's participants supported the initiatives to expand cooperation on geological exploration and the extraction of uranium," it said.
The meeting took place during French President Emmanuel Macron's official visit to Uzbekistan.
Nurlikum Minin, a joint venture for exploring and extracting uranium created by Orano (51%) and the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Geology and Mineral Resources (Goskomgeology) (49%), has been operating in the Navoiy region of Uzbekistan since December 2019. The company's resource base is comprised of three prospective sandstone-type uranium areas, Northern and Southern Jendeldy and Jangikuduk.
Uzbekistan's Goskomgeology, the state enterprise Navoiyuran and Orano Mining signed a three-party agreement on expanding cooperation on uranium extraction and processing during Mirziyoyev's visit to Paris in November 2022. The new agreement laid the foundation for developing new uranium mines in Uzbekistan.
The document also envisaged implementing some joint initiatives, including those concerning the launch of new joint geological exploration projects and support for Navoiyuran with its modernization and transformation.
According to earlier reports, Uzbekistan expects to double uranium extraction to 7,100 tonnes by 2030.
According to Goskomgeology, the foundation of the country's uranium mineral resource base comprises 27 deposits in the Kyzylkum region. The resources are estimated at some 55,000 tonnes.
Uzbekistan ranks seventh in the world in uranium resources and fifth in extraction volumes.