Most of Navoi Region is occupied by the Kyzylkum desert, and its economy is defined by mining and metallurgy, the chemical industry, power generation and building materials production; according to the National Statistics Committee, the region leads the country in metallurgical output. The combination of a desert climate and aggressive process environments makes the region particularly demanding on protective coatings: a material must withstand not only service but also the application itself in heat, dust and dry air.
Kyzylkum: the difficulties start during application
The climate here is sharply continental and desert. In July 2026 the Uchkuduk weather station in the Kyzylkum recorded a new record of 49.7 °C, Navoi itself saw 46.5 °C, while in winter the thermometer here has dropped to −28.2 °C (January 1969, Uzhydromet data). According to the Third National Communication, the desert zone has 18–25 days a year with heat of 40 °C and above, and a study of dust storms notes that wind gusts stronger than 20 m/s occur here more often than in many other regions (Rakhmatova et al., 2025). Many coating failures at such facilities originate on the day of painting.
- Dust on cleaned steel. Between abrasive blast cleaning and priming, the surface has time to become covered with dust. The amount of dust is checked to ISO 8502-3 before each coat, and cleaning and painting are done under cover or during windless hours.
- Dry air. Zinc ethyl silicate primers need moisture from the air to cure; in the desert there is not enough of it, and the procedure must allow for this — see the section on zinc-rich primers for details.
- Scorching-hot steel. On a hot surface, dry spray and pinholes appear, and the pot life of two-component materials drops sharply. Painting is moved to the morning, the steel is shaded, and the surface temperature is measured before each pass.
- Abrasive wind. Sand wears away the topcoat on windward surfaces, so a thickness margin and regular inspection are built in there.
Dryness in itself does not make the environment mild. The Ministry of Ecology has recorded exceedances of the standards for sulphur dioxide and ammonia in the air of Navoi, and a UNECE review lists the city among the industrial centres with a fairly high air pollution index. At the region’s industrial sites the corrosivity category for exposed steel is, as a rule, C3–C4, and next to emissions and spills it can be higher; it is established to ISO 9223/ISO 12944-2 separately for each facility, and in zones with chemical media, according to the composition of the medium.
Mining and metallurgical enterprises
Ore mining and processing means open-pit machinery and crushing and screening plants, concentrators and processing plants, conveyor galleries and tailings facilities. Typical tasks:
- vessels, thickeners, launders and bunds with acidic or alkaline process solutions — chemical-resistant linings, which we select according to the composition, concentration and temperature of the solution using the questionnaire;
- steelwork of buildings in a humid atmosphere contaminated with reagents — multi-coat epoxy systems;
- workshop frames and cable structures — fire protection to the design requirements, bearing in mind that not every thin-film paint tolerates an aggressive atmosphere without a protective topcoat;
- slurry pipelines, launders and sumps, where abrasion by solid particles is added to the chemistry — rubber lining or wear-resistant linings instead of ordinary paint;
- mills, crushers, screens, conveyor drives — epoxy grouts for dynamic loads; the city of Navoi is assigned to the intensity 8 zone on the MSK-64 scale — as recorded in Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 727 (2025) — and the anchoring of units is designed with seismicity in mind.
Chemicals, building materials, power generation
At chemical plants most of the work is protection against specific substances: of equipment, vessels, floors, pits and building structures exposed to splashes and vapours. There is no universal “chemical-resistant” coating: the same system may hold up perfectly against an alkali and fail quickly in an acid. At cement and stone-processing enterprises — and the region is rich in marble, quartz and basalt — dust, heat and heavy rotating equipment are added: here heat-resistant coatings and grouts under machinery are needed. Power facilities need fire protection of cable runs and frames, and grouting under turbine sets and pumps.
Uzbekistan’s Third National Communication names the region as one of the most promising for solar power, and a free economic zone has been operating at Navoi International Airport since 2008. New workshops, warehouses and solar plant support structures with steel frames require fire protection under ShNK 2.01.02-04 where the design calls for it, and corrosion protection designed for a desert atmosphere.
How we work with enterprises in the region
We start with the input data: the environment, the temperature, the condition of the surface and the possibilities for preparation on site. We propose a protection scheme with material options from different manufacturers, and prepare a method statement with climatic limitations and an inspection procedure. On request we carry out a trial area and provide supervision. We supply materials to Navoi, Zarafshan, Uchkuduk and other towns in the region; delivery and storage — taking into account summer heat and winter frosts — are agreed in advance.
See also Bukhara Region — with more on oil and gas facilities in the desert — and Tashkent Region, where there is a lot of metallurgy; the list is in the regions section.
Questions from enterprises in Navoi Region
How do you paint on an open site in the desert?
Plan the work by time of day, shelter the cleaning and painting area from the wind, check dust, steel temperature and humidity before each coat, and use the thinners recommended in the technical data sheet for hot conditions.
Will an epoxy lining be suitable for an acidic solution?
It depends on the acid, its concentration and temperature. For some acidic media standard epoxies are unsuitable, and epoxy novolac or vinyl ester systems are needed. We give a precise answer only on the basis of the questionnaire.
How should materials be stored on a desert site?
Indoors, or at least in the shade, with ventilation, away from hot equipment — and within the temperature limits of the technical data sheet. In winter, water-based materials are protected from frost. Overheated or frozen components may fail to develop their properties even when applied correctly.
An enterprise in Navoi Region? Describe the environment and the task, and we will send you protection scheme options and a calculation of materials. An engineer is available on +998 94 094 52 27 (also WhatsApp and Telegram). Send the completed questionnaire and drawings by e-mail to info@ognezashita.uz.