Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Alan Docter. Photo: Press service of the president of Uzbekistan
The American company Traxys will invest $1 billion in projects for geological exploration and the development of critical mineral deposits in Uzbekistan. Agreements were reached in New York at a meeting between the Central Asian republic’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and the company’s head, Alan Docter, the presidential press service reported.
Traxys is one of the world’s leaders in the supply of critical raw materials and minerals, including those necessary for the transition to green energy. A number of projects agreed with the Uzbek authorities are supported by documents and a roadmap providing for the introduction of modern technologies in mining, processing, and the creation of sustainable supply chains of natural resources.
Alan Docter, chairman of the board of directors of Traxys, was not the only representative of the American delegation. The group of businessmen working in the mining industry also included the vice president of the Colorado School of Mines and top managers of major companies — FLSmidth, McKinsey, and Go Green Partners.
Negotiations are also underway with the Colorado School of Mines, a leading engineering university in mining, on establishing a Competence Center at the University of Geological Sciences of Uzbekistan.
Other companies are also cooperating or planning to partner with the Central Asian country. FLSmidth is actively involved in the development of the copper industry, McKinsey is working on a strategy for resource base development, capacity expansion, and large-scale transformation of the mining industry, while Go Green Partners intends to carry out exploration at promising Uzbek sites.
The total market capitalization of these enterprises exceeds $20 billion.
In April of this year, it was reported that the United States was counting on strategic cooperation with Uzbekistan in the field of safe nuclear energy technologies, critical minerals, and other areas. The issue was discussed at a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Uzbekistan’s foreign minister, Bakhtiyor Saidov.
Critical minerals are essential for the green economy and the transition to renewable energy. They are used in the production of batteries for electric vehicles, spare parts for cars, and smartphones. Critical minerals include lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, neodymium, samarium, among others.
