Kazakhstan is considering the creation of a state strategic uranium reserve to secure fuel supplies for its future nuclear power plants, Qazinform News Agency quotes Chairman of the Atomic Energy Agency Almassadam Satkaliyev as saying. According to Satkaliyev, the agency is reassessing its approach to uranium resource management, viewing uranium not only as a raw material but also as a strategic resource for Kazakhstan's long-term economic development.
Speaking at a meeting of the Qurultay Committee on Economic Policy, Industry, and Energy, Satkaliyev said the agency was considering the creation of a state strategic uranium reserve to secure fuel supplies for future nuclear power plants. He explained that Kazakhstan's nuclear industry development strategy through 2050 calls for reserving at least 150,000 tons of uranium by that year, along with developing and approving a conceptual framework for establishing the strategic reserve.
The agency is currently working to determine the approaches and mechanisms needed to establish the strategic reserve, taking into account Kazakhstan's long-term nuclear energy requirements. “The strategic reserve is expected to be developed as a comprehensive, multi-level system covering the entire nuclear fuel supply chain, from reserving uranium deposits underground to building physical stockpiles of natural uranium, reserves of ready-to-use nuclear fuel, and other mechanisms,” Satkaliyev added.
Earlier, in his state-of-the-nation addres, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for the establishment of a state strategic uranium reserve.