Kyrgyzstan Builds $166M Tulkubash Gold Mining Complex in Chatkal District

Construction is underway on the Tulkubash gold mining complex in Chatkal district, Jalal-Abad region, Kyrgyzstan. Operator Chaarat Zaav puts the budget at about $166 million. The open-pit project will process oxidised gold ore by heap leaching, with a planned capacity of about 5 million tonnes of ore a year.

Once at full capacity, the company expects to produce about 110,000 ounces of gold a year, around 3.4 tonnes, and plans to invest about $42 million in 2026. In January 2026, Canada's Silvercorp Metals announced the purchase of 70% of Chaarat Zaav, while Kyrgyzaltyn holds a 30% free-carried interest.

Silvercorp first estimated the first phase at $150 million; the plan approved in June sets it at $166.3 million. A $60 million payment made to Kyrgyzstan on 13 May 2026 relates to extending the licence to 2062 and is not part of the construction budget. The company employs 134 people, 110 of them Kyrgyz citizens.