According to a report by Asia Express News Agency on July 13, Tajikistan's Minister of Industry and New Technologies, Sheral Kabir, stated that approximately 80% of the equipment for the Namadgut lithium mine project in the Ishkashim district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region has arrived in Tajikistan, and the project is scheduled to commence within one year.

Kabir stated that the President had instructed at a meeting in the Soght Region to launch the project within a year. He also indicated that extensive geological exploration work has already been carried out at the mine site.

The Namadgut deposit is a pegmatite-type mineral containing niobium, tantalum, and beryllium in addition to lithium. Kabir acknowledged that global lithium prices have fallen significantly, but the stable prices of other associated components will enhance the project's economic attractiveness.

Kabir believes that the development of the lithium industry will create conditions for Tajikistan to attract large-scale electric vehicle and battery manufacturers. He pointed out that electric vehicle production involves key materials such as aluminum, copper, and lithium, resources Tajikistan possesses. The development of the lithium industry will create new opportunities for high-value-added industries in Tajikistan. He stated that Tajikistan will play a significant role in the lithium sector.

Previously, it was reported that Tajikistan plans to build a beneficiation plant at its lithium mine in the Ishkashim district and has instructed that the focus be on the mining and processing of lithium and other non-ferrous metals, up to the production of finished products.

Reprinted from Tajikistan New Observer