Tashkent, 23 October. Azerbaijani gold miner AzerGold has registered a subsidiary in Uzbekistan, AzerGold Uzbekistan, to study and assess the prospects of developing the Akba gold deposit in Kashkadarya region; the licence is being processed, and once it is issued exploration will take a year and a half.
During that time the company will study archive geodata, carry out additional prospecting, estimate resources to JORC standards, conduct metallurgical tests and an environmental impact assessment, and consider gold extraction and processing technologies. The result will be a feasibility study and an investment proposal for developing the deposit.
According to Uzbekgeologorazvedka, more than 13 tonnes of commercial gold reserves at Akba were placed on the state balance last year, and further studies could add up to 50 tonnes more. The second area of work is the search for new deposits between Navoi and Nurata, involving Uzbekistan's state geological exploration company and the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Company; founding documents and permits are being prepared.
What it means: Uzbekistan is bringing in a foreign partner to assess a new gold deposit: if the studies are confirmed, Akba's reserves could grow several times over.
Who benefits: Uzbekistan gets investment and an assessment of its subsoil to international standards; AzerGold expands beyond Azerbaijan. A decision on development will only be made after the feasibility study.
Background: Uzbekistan's largest gold producer, the Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Company, produced about 2.3m ounces of gold in January–September 2026.
List of sources used: Mining Industry KZ
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
