In Karakalpakstan, a cluster will be created for gold mining and processing

The head of state noted that geological exploration work has covered only 20% of the region's area, which is why there is insufficient information about raw material reserves amid growing interest from major investors. As an example, he cited a project by a Chinese investor at the "Urusoy" deposit in the Karauzyak district. Having invested $33 million and technology, the company identified gold reserves of 4 tons on a 200-hectare site and provided jobs for 320 people.

The President instructed the responsible persons to resolve the issues raised by investors, organize a cluster, prepare a comprehensive geological exploration program and re-evaluate the reserves of the region's deposits within a month.

In addition, the meeting discussed deep processing of raw materials. According to the authorities' estimates, the processing of mirabilite at the "Kuskanatau" deposit in the Bozatau district will make it possible to produce up to 45 thousand tons of sodium sulfate per year, and the processing of astrakhanite will make it possible to obtain magnesium sulfate. It was also reported about an investment project of a German company worth $30 million to develop a quartzite deposit in the Beruniy district to produce crystalline silicon with exports of $25 million per year. The person in charge of the chemical industry was instructed to add new initiatives worth $200 million to the previously planned projects worth $400 million, creating 5,000 jobs.