Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 6 / Trend /
Kazakhstan is ready to increase its annual uranium production up to 25,000-30,000 tons under the related market demands, Itar-Tass reported with reference to Vice President of the national atomic energy company Kazatomprom Sergei Yashin.
The country can build its own nuclear power plant within the next 10 years, Yashin said at the Sixth Eurasian Forum KAZENERGY-2011 on Wednesday.
"Kazakhstan is able to meet the global demand in uranium in the near 80 years," he stressed.
"The Fukushima accident triggered revision of the demand in the natural uranium ore. However, the uranium consumption continues growing," Yashin said. "Based on the updated forecast, the world will need the uranium production to increase by 50 percent by 2030.That raises the question who
will ensure this growth?" he said.
"Kazakhstan is one of a few countries capable to increase uranium production rapidly," he noted.
"Today, the country's uranium output reached 20,000 tons, which makes up 33 percent of the global uranium production," he said, adding, "As of today Kazakhstan has mined only 4.2 percent of the total uranium reserves available in the country."
Kazatomprom has revised the outlook for Kazakhstan's uranium production in 2011 to 19,900 tons. In 2010, uranium production in Kazakhstan reached 17,803 tons.
Kazatomprom is Kazakhstan's national operator for export of uranium and its compounds, rare metals, nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants, special equipment, technologies and dual use materials.
Edited by G.Dadashova