Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov announced the launch of an underground gold mining project at Kumtor, Central Asia’s largest gold mine, as reported by Interfax Kazakhstan.
«The underground gold mining project is set to operate for 17 years, with geological reserves of 147 tons of gold officially added to the national balance,» Japarov said at the ceremony.
Japarov stated that underground mining would help reduce the volume of waste rock. He added that the transition from open-pit mining to underground ore extraction will be proceed gradually.
The tailing pit, which contains more than 100 tons of gold, is also expected to be processed, providing additional revenue and easing the environmental burden in the region.
In 2024, 12.5 tons of gold were produced at Kumtor. Since May 2021, the enterprise has generated $3.4 billion in revenue, of which $891.6 million was transferred to the state budget.
Kumtor is the largest gold mine in Central Asia. Since 2004, mining operations had been carried out by the Canadian company Centerra Gold under an investment contract. In 2021, the mine was transferred to state control after a dispute with the Canadian investor was resolved. The enterprise is now part of the state-owned company Kyrgyzaltyn.
