Economic Efficiency is a Key to Development

 

     The dynamic development of the economy is accompanied by a growing demand for electricity. Industrial, agricultural and consumer services enterprises, as well as medical, scientific and educational institutions and, of course, residential complexes and road transport infrastructure are all major consumers of electric power. And this fact, undoubtedly, has a negative impact on the environmental situation in the world, because it is no secret that the generation of electricity by traditional methods leads to environmental pollution due to the emission of a huge amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This is one of the main reasons for the use of alternative energy sources, as well as for turning to nuclear energy products. Nuclear energy produces no more emissions than renewable sources, so it can be considered an environmentally friendly source of energy. Nuclear power is not intermittent, i.e., it does not depend on wind or solar power, nuclear power plants can operate for a year or more without interruption or maintenance, making it a more reliable source of energy.
     These factors undoubtedly confirm and justify the great attention paid by the Government to the development of Uzbekistan’s uranium industry, the products of which are the basis for the development of nuclear energy.
     As a result of implementation of large-scale reforms of the New Uzbekistan, by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated 6 March 2020. “On Measures to Reform the State Enterprise ‘Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine’” determined the establishment of the State Enterprise “Navoiuran” specialising in the mining and processing of natural uranium and rare metals.
     Furthermore, in accordance with the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated 30 March 2021 ‘On organization of activities of the State Enterprise “Navoiuran”, Joint Stock Company “Navoi MMC” and the State Institution “Fund of NGMK”, the tasks of the State Enterprise “Navoiuran” were assigned to the State Enterprise “Navoiuran” on exploitation of natural uranium deposits in subsoil use, extraction and processing of uranium-containing raw materials, accompanying uranium deposits of rare and rare-earth metals with the provision of the corresponding activities of the State Enterprise “Navoiuran”. Thus, since 1 January 2022, the company officially started its operations as Navoiuran SE.
     Currently, uranium mining is carried out by the company’s structural subdivisions in the Navoi, Bukhara and Samarkand regions; the production of finished products in the form of uranium oxide and exports are carried out at the production facilities of the uranium production plant. It is no exaggeration to say that from the first days of its independent functioning, the activities of Navoiuran SE have been under special attention of the government of the country. The Decree signed by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on 14 July 2022 “On Measures to Increase Uranium Mining, Processing and Transformation of Navoiuran State Enterprise in 2022-2030” became a historically important document that determined the future prospects of the enterprise.
     Along with the tasks of sustainable development of the uranium raw material base, increasing its mining and processing, transformation, attracting investments into the industry and introducing modern technologies, this resolution determines that by 2030 the uranium mineral resource base will reach 100,000 tons, further geological exploration and pilot works aimed at involving new deposits in development, as well as a 2-fold increase in the volume of mining and processing of uranium raw materials.
     As a result of achieving the set objectives, the uranium output growth rate in 2023 was 114 per cent. As part of the Investment Program 2023, 62.1 million US dollars was spent on 7 projects and the project for the construction of a mining complex at the Aktau deposit was launched at a cost of 4.95 million US dollars.
     In order to ensure unconditional fulfilment of forecasted industrial output indicators and high growth rates, the company carries out fruitful work on effective organization of all technological processes. One of the key factors influencing the growth rate of technological drilling is effective organization of drilling equipment operation. As a result of measures to ensure production efficiency in this area, the total volume of technological drilling in 2023 was more than 1.7 million meters, and the operating time per drilling rig was 1.8 thousand meters.
     The volume of uranium production for 2022 was 102.5% compared to the previous year, for 2023 this indicator increased by 8%, while the volume of productive solutions production for 2023 was 251 million cubic metres.
     In order to consolidate and improve the organisation of work of technological processes, Nurata, Bukantau, Zirabulak geological exploration expeditions were included in the structure of structural subdivisions of SE ‘Navoiuran’ from November 1, 2022, thus determining the beginning of independent geological exploration works by the enterprise. As a result of organisational and technical measures taken by the management of Navoiuran SE, the productivity of one unit in 2023 was 1.8 thousand metres, or 50.2% more than in the previous year, which made it possible to carry out geological exploration work in the volume of 936.6 thousand metres.
     One of the key prerequisites for the creation of an industrial cluster at the production facilities of SE Navoiuran, covering all stages of uranium production, is the presence of a Sulfuric Acid Production Workshop and a Plastic Pipe and Products Production Shop in the structural divisions of the enterprise. These divisions provide the bulk of the company’s needs for sulphuric acid and pipe products, which are important consumables for uranium mining technology.
     It should be noted that Navoiyuran SE is the only uranium mining enterprise in the world that provides the technological process with sulfuric acid and pipe products produced at its own production facilities. The sulfuric acid production workshop, which was put into operation more than 30 years ago, today meets 60% of the company’s demand for sulfuric acid. Modernization and technical re-equipment of production facilities made it possible to increase the productivity of the workshop to more than 500 tons per year starting from 2014, which is 50 tons higher than the design capacity. Thus, the volume of sulfuric acid production in 2023 amounted to 525.4 thousand tons.
     In order to improve the technological processes for the production of sulfuric acid, a steam turbine generator with a capacity of 6 MW is used. This makes it possible to use the steam generated during the sulfuric acid production process to generate electricity. Thus, the average annual electricity generation of the steam turbine generator is 35 million kW, which provides the shop with almost 80 percent of electricity. In the process of sulfuric acid production, an innovative approach to the organization of technological processes is also applied. In particular, a patented technology for purification from sulfur impurities, which is the main raw material, is used. Moreover, the expensive powder of fossil meal is replaced by a cheaper inorganic adsorbent from the silicate base of the spent vanadium catalyst.

 

 

 

 

 

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