Russia's Rosatom has signed a fresh memorandum of cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, on non-energy application of nuclear technologies in healthcare, and updated the country on "progress of the development of a project for the construction" of a small modular reactor.

Remediation works at Mailuu-Suu - the largest uranium legacy site in Kyrgyzstan - are set to begin following the allocation of a grant of EUR23 million (USD25 million) from the Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia, managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan and Rosatom Energy Projects have signed the terms of reference for a preliminary study for the construction of a low-power nuclear power plant. 

Work to manage the legacy wastes from historic uranium mining at sites in Shekaftar and Min-Kush has been completed, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced. The work was completed on schedule and below the projected budget.

A renewed call has been made for additional donor funding in order to tackle the most urgent problems caused by radioactive and toxic waste at legacy uranium sites in Central Asia, with the International Atomic Energy Agency estimating an additional EUR40 million (USD47 million) is required. The call came as all parties directly involved in the project signed a revised Strategic Master Plan.

A new technology using drones is set to be deployed for the remote monitoring of radiation measurements at former uranium mining and processing areas in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with gamma spectrometers have been developed by a German consortium in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Work has started in Kyrgyzstan to overcome the legacy of uranium mining in Central Asia with a ground-breaking ceremony in Shekaftar, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced today. The Shekaftar mining complex includes three closed mines and eight mining-waste disposal areas that contain about 700,000 cubic metres of waste from mining operations.

Work to remediate legacy uranium mining sites can begin in Tajikistan now that the country's framework agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has entered into force. The bank has also announced the signature of a contract for remediation work at the Shekaftar site in Kyrgyzstan.

Significant progress has been made in cleaning up some of the legacy waste from historic uranium mining in Central Asia, but much remains to be done, with additional donations from the international community needed to complete this vital remediation work, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development says.