The IAEA has published a new Strategic Master Plan (SMP) to continue its cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and international organisations on the remediation of uranium legacy sites until 2030. This is the third edition of the revised and updated Strategic Master Plan for Environmental Remediation of Uranium Legacy Sites in Central Asia.
The uranium legacy sites are former uranium mining, milling and processing facilities from the mid-1940s to the 1990s that were abandoned without plans for safe closure and decommissioning. The IAEA Coordination Group for Uranium Legacy Sites (CGULS) supports countries to safely manage these sites and the residues of radioactive and toxic contaminants to protect people and the environment.
“The new plan, an extension of our collaboration since 2017, focuses on enhancing the regulatory, technical, financial and human resources for the long term management of the remediated sites, according to IAEA safety standards,” said Hildegarde Vandenhove, Director of the IAEA Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety.
The 96-page plan will guide the future activities of the IAEA, international organisations and collaborating countries, focusing on monitoring, maintenance, record keeping and continuous stakeholder engagement towards the safe and beneficial use of the remediated land.
Under the original plan adopted in 2017, seven uranium legacy sites in Central Asia were designated as high priority for remediation, because of the risk they posed to nearby communities and the environment. Since then, four of these sites have been remediated – Min-Kush and Shekaftar in Kyrgyzstan and Charkesar and Yangiabad in Uzbekistan – enabling local communities to use the land safely.
Work continues at Mailuu-Suu in Kyrgyzstan, one of the largest and most complex, with remediation expected to continue until 2032. In Tajikistan, Istiklol has been partially remediated while work at Degmay has not yet started.
The European Union (EU), which is responsible for these seven sites, is a key player supporting Central Asia in addressing its uranium legacy through its European Instrument for the International Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC). The EU has supported the establishment and continuous functioning of CGULS through cooperation with the IAEA, providing direct support to Central Asian operators and regulators, and commissioning the environmental impact assessment and feasibility studies on the seven high priority sites. The EU is also a major donor for the implementation of the remediation works through the Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia (ERA implemented by the EBRD. However, without sufficient additional contributions to ERA, the two remaining high priority remediation projects, Istiklol and Degmay in Tajikistan may remain out of reach.
The CIS meanwhile has completed work at two other high priority uranium legacy sites through the Inter-State Targeted Programme on Remediation of Member State Territories affected by Uranium Mining Industries (CIS Programme). Funding to remediate Yellow Hill and tailings 1-4 at Istiklol in Tajikistan, was approved in 2018. Remediation works commenced in 2022 and were completed in 2023. In 2017, remediation started at Min-Kush tailings in the Kyrgyz Republic and was completed in 2025, concluding the CIS intervention in the priority sites.
With the completion of the CIS Programme, a new model cooperation concept for the CIS member states is under preparation to bring nuclear legacy facilities located in the CIS area into a safe condition, under the coordination of the CIS Base Organisation for Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning of Nuclear Radiation Facilities (CIS BO) which would address the lower priority uranium legacy sites.
The Russian Federation will continue to provide assistance to the CIS countries on nuclear legacy issues, through State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom (Rosatom), including at former uranium mining sites in Central Asia on a bilateral basis. Cooperation agreements have been established between the Russian Federation, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Tajikistan for the remediation of other uranium legacy sites.
As well as ensuring the high priority sites are managed and reused safely, the new SMP encompasses lower priority sites for remediation – sites that present lower risks in terms of environmental, social and economic considerations, and were not remediated under the previous plan.
“I am firmly convinced that the work of the IAEA Coordination Group for Uranium Legacy Sites stands as a vivid example of how the collective efforts of the international community, united by a shared goal – the protection of people and the environment – can yield tangible and lasting results,” said Sardorbek Yakubekov, Deputy Chairman of the Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Committee of Uzbekistan.
CGULS has supported Central Asian countries with practical guidance on remediation strategies since 2012. This has included expert missions to guide progress in remediation efforts, and assistance in capacity building and developing legal and regulatory frameworks for remediating legacy sites. CGULS comprises the IAEA, the European Commission, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), other international organisations. Germany, Norway, France and Belgium as well as other member states support the Group.
The SMP specifically focuses on clearly distinguishing activities under the EU INSC and ERA scope, and those funded by the CIS. Both programmes adhere to the principles of non-interference and complementarity. The IAEA will continue its role as CGULS secretariat during 2025-2030. The SMP is published by the IAEA, with the support and funding from the EU and the endorsement of the EBRD, Kyrgyz Republic, Rosatom, Republic of Tajikistan and Republic of Uzbekistan.
