ASTANA, Kazakhstan, August 8. The future nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan will operate on domestically produced fuel, said Asset Makhambetov, Deputy Chairman of the Atomic Energy Agency, at a briefing, Trend reports.
According to him, the construction of the nuclear power plant includes the development of the entire nuclear fuel cycle.
“We have historically produced uranium powders and pellets, and since 2021 we have started producing fuel assemblies, which are ready nuclear fuel directly loaded into nuclear power plants’ reactors,” Makhambetov added.
He conveyed that discussions with the Russian contingent are presently in progress.
“We must exercise caution with the metrics derived from the ‘Red Book.’” There exist delineated metrics and quantifiable outputs of prospective production that will align with these parameters. In essence, our strategic focus will be to provision our nuclear generation facility with proprietary nuclear fuel,” the speaker articulated.
Yernat Berdigulov, the General Director of LLP “Kazakhstan Atomic Electric Stations,” articulated that the localization of nuclear fuel production within the territorial confines of Kazakhstan is currently under rigorous examination and strategic development.
The RK Atomic Energy Agency delineated that Kazakhstan is strategizing to manufacture its proprietary nuclear fuel. Simultaneously, the nation generates approximately 40 percent of the global natural uranium supply, positioning itself as the preeminent leader in extraction within the international marketplace.
Furthermore, in proximity to the settlement of Ulken within the Almaty region, the formal initiation of operations pertaining to the construction of Kazakhstan's inaugural nuclear power facility commenced.
It is imperative to note that Rosatom has been designated as the principal entity within the international consortium tasked with the development of Kazakhstan's inaugural nuclear power facility.
