Residents of the Ton district of the Issyk-Kul oblast are ready to support the YurAsia company and the Kara-Balta Mining Plant OJSC in the development of the Tash-Bulak uranium deposit.

Public hearings on this issue were held in Kok-Moinok village and Balykchy city. The meeting was attended by representatives of the company and shareholders, heads of local authorities, deputies, youth activists and local public.

There were locals dissatisfied with the fact that in a short time, a Kyrgyz-Russian company will begin the extraction of a radioactive element not far from their homes. Due to the lack of reliable information, people believed that it would harm the environment. The company’s representatives urged people not to believe the rumors.

Local residents were interested in the employment and how the uranium mining would affect the environmental situation.

According to the company’s representative Andrey Akimov, the majority of the company's employees will be from the local population.

YurAsia is a socially responsible company, therefore the creation of other jobs is also planned. The company is ready to support local authorities in the creation of processing enterprises, so that other local residents have the opportunity to earn at home.

Svetlana Meng, YurAsia General Director, told the meeting that the method of uranium mining is essentially unique and does not harm the environment. On the contrary, after uranium is extracted, the radiation background will decrease, since all the harmful elements will be taken for reprocessing to the Kara-Balta mining plant.

Upon completion of the works, the company will restore the fertile soil layer and green the territory.

The local population expressed their willingness to support the development of the field, provided that all environmental standards and norms are met. The company-developer has initiated the creation of a special commission, which will include all stakeholders.

“We are ready for any expertise, as we are sure that no harm will be caused to the environment. Moreover, we will install special electronic meters that will show the level of radiation in the nearest populated areas in real time,” Akimov concluded.