Step-by-Step Relocation of Environmentally Hazardous Industrial Enterprises Outside the Capital Begins

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan has launched systematic measures to modernize and gradually relocate environmentally hazardous and energy-intensive industrial facilities outside urban areas.

This initiative is being implemented in accordance with the Presidential Decree No. UP-16 of 30 January 2025, “On the State Program for Implementing the ‘Uzbekistan – 2030’ Strategy in the Year of Environmental Protection and Green Economy.”

According to calculations, relocating a single industrial enterprise from the capital can reduce harmful atmospheric emissions by more than 226 tons per year.

The program provides for the development of substantiated proposals, in coordination with relevant ministries and agencies, to relocate enterprises from Tashkent, Nukus, and regional centers in sectors such as asbestos and cement production, leather and footwear manufacturing, poultry farming, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, and other industries with high energy consumption.

Currently, Tashkent hosts 87 enterprises that fall under these requirements. Their relocation will be carried out gradually, with mandatory modernization of production capacities and alignment of technological processes with modern environmental standards.

As part of this effort, the Special Commission conducts regular inspections of industrial facilities.

For example, in the Southern Industrial Zone of Yangihayot District in the capital, the activities of JSC “Uzvtortsvetmet,” which specializes in the procurement, processing, and production of secondary non-ferrous metals, were inspected. The enterprise is classified as a Category I environmental hazard facility.

The October 2025 inspection revealed instances of environmental pollution. The enterprise received a mandatory directive and was required to pay environmental compensation totaling 18,091,717,137 soums.

Based on decisions by the Special Commission and directives from the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change, and to prevent further environmental impact, the enterprise will be relocated to an industrial zone in Jizzakh region, ceasing operations in Yangihayot District, Tashkent.

Through the provision of compensation-related benefits, outdated and environmentally harmful smelting furnaces will be decommissioned, while the enterprise will resume operations using modern equipment fully compliant with current environmental standards.

As a result of these measures, harmful emissions into the atmosphere are expected to decrease by an average of 226.7 tons per year, contributing to a significant improvement in air quality and the overall environmental situation in Yangihayot District of the capital.