Preparations to tackle the legacy of former uranium mining sites in Uzbekistan are set to begin following the signing of a grant agreement between the environmental remediation account for Central Asia (ERA) and the government of Uzbekistan, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said.

The €2m grant will support a recently established project management unit, which will be dealing with the environmental remediation of the former uranium mining sites at Yangiabad and Charkesar, in the mountains east of the Uzbek capital Tashkent.

The signing follows the approval of an updated strategic master plan for resolving the uranium legacy in Central Asia.