As part of the global call for tenders to develop the Chimgan site in Uzbekistan, the tender panel has awarded the equipment supply contracts for the development of the four-season mountain resort in Uzbekistan to French industrial group MND for a total amount of €100 million.

Co-financed by an inter-governmental loan from the French government supervised by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the project aims to fast-track the development of the Chimgan touristic site by building new 4-season facilities and equipment. Chimgan is less than an hour and a half’s drive from the capital Tashkent with its population of nearly four million. It aims to become the leading mountain resort in Central Asia.
French group MND (Euronext Growth – FR00140050Q2 – ALMND) has been awarded all six contracts worth a total of €100 million. All the facilities will be completed over the next three years.
Sardor Minakhmetov, Director of the construction and operation company of the international four-season mountain resort of Chimgan; attached to the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan stated: “We are delighted to award all of the contracts for the development of the Chimgan site to the French group MND following the call for tenders launched in September 2022. We were especially impressed by the professionalism and expertise of the MND teams throughout the project with the project management of GEODE, MANIE Lives, PATRIARCHE, EPODE and CDA Management, members of the French Assistance Consortium. There was a clear understanding of our strategic challenges and environmental constraints. Moreover, visits to sites already fitted out by MND have confirmed the quality and durability of their installations.
MND’s approach as a single partner, able to provide us with a comprehensive four-season solution, makes sense to us: it guarantees the project from inception to completion. We are now eager to see this ambitious project materialise over the next few years.”
Xavier Gallot-Lavallée, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MND stated: “We are delighted to have been selected by the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan to develop tourism businesses in Chimgan. Our Group’s strength lies in its ability to support those leading the project with a comprehensive vision and to tackle the strategic challenges of this tourism destination thanks to our multiple solutions for mobility, recreation and safety. This latest business success further confirms the relevance of the global offering proposed by MND for more than 20 years.
Our Group’s unique vision combines collective planning, high-performance technical solutions and environmental responsibility, which MND promotes through its strategic plan Succeed Together 2024. This contract was won thanks to the commitment of all MND’s staff and shows the faith of the Uzbek authorities in the Group’s ability to take a “one partner, many solutions” approach.”

MND’s comprehensive “made in France” offer to support the Chimgan site

Drawing on its experience, MND brings its integrated vision as well as its made-in-France know-how to the Chimgan leisure site, from design through to manufacture – mostly carried out at its facility in Sainte-Hélène-du-Lac in the Savoie region – and on-site installation, right up to commissioning alongside the customer. The company is determined to promote «Made in France» worldwide thanks to a facility that combines innovation, industrial excellence and operational efficiency.

The contract won by MND includes the design, engineering, manufacture and installation of the following equipment:

• Package 1: a 10-seater detachable gondola lift to access the Chimgan mountain mid-station and the service buildings at the bottom and top stations;
• Package 2: an 80-seater aerial tramway with access to the top of Mount Chimgan at 3,309 metres and the service buildings at the bottom and top stations;
• Package 3: two 4-seater fixed chairlifts;
• Package 4: six conveyor belts for skiers and pedestrians with tunnels around the beginners’ area and the all-weather play area;
• Package 5: a fully automatic snowmaking system for a section of the ski area;
• Package 6: All the equipment needed to run the resort in all seasons: a scenic rail funcoaster – two giant zip lines – an adventure tower – a tubbing area – fourteen avalanche safety systems – signalling systems for the ski area – lighting on certain slopes – safety on the ski slopes.

Chimgan project

Since September 2018 under a FASEP (Fund for Private Sector Research and Assistance), granted by France to the Tashkent region, an overall study and development plan was carried out by the French consortium GEODE, MANIE Lives, PATRIARCHE, EPODE, CDA Management at the three Chimgan, Beldersay and Nanay sites in the Bostonlyk tourist zone. The first strategic plan, completed in July 2019, was submitted to the Uzbek authorities in the presence of the French ambassador to Uzbekistan. Throughout the project, the French consortium teams worked alongside the local Uzbek team in the Tashkent region together with the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade. On 26 June 2019, the overall project was presented to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who approved it and requested that it be fast-tracked in partnership with France and the consortium’s technical teams. A presidential order appointed three consortium members to the project board (P. Lebrasseur, MANIE Lives, F. Gaimard, EPODE, J-L Patriarche, Groupe Patriarche).