ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 4. Uranium production by Kazakhstan's Kazatomprom (the national nuclear company) amounted to 15,317 tons from January through September 2023, which is 1 percent lower than the same period in 2022 (15,446 tons), Trend reports.
Data from Kazatomprom shows that in the third quarter of 2023, production amounted to 5,092 tons. Compared to the third quarter of 2022 (5,377 tons), this figure decreased by 5 percent.
As the company noted, production volumes (on a 100 percent ownership basis) for the third quarter and first nine months of 2023 were lower than the corresponding periods in 2022, primarily due to a slight decrease in the 2023 production plan compared to 2022 announced at the beginning of the year.
Problems related to limited access to some key materials, such as sulfuric acid, remain, which could have a negative impact on production volumes in 2024.
The current level of expectations for annual production in 2023, however, remains unchanged.
On September 29, 2023, Kazakhstan's Kazatomprom presented its strategy for uranium production for 2025. The Board of Directors of Kazatomprom approved the company’s strategy to increase uranium production volumes in 2025 to 100 percent of the level planned under subsoil use contracts.
Kazakhstan ranks second in the world in terms of proven reserves of natural uranium. About 14 percent of all proven world reserves are concentrated in the depths of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The country's total proven reserves are estimated at more than 700,000 tons of uranium.
In 2009, Kazakhstan took first place in uranium production in the world and continues to maintain a leading position in the world market. Kazakhstan produces about 40 percent of the world's uranium production. In 2021, the volume of uranium production amounted to 21,800 tons, according to the results of 2022—21,300 tons.
