BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 29. Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has tasked the Samruk-Kazyna sovereign wealth fund and the Agency for Atomic Energy with establishing a state strategic uranium reserve, according to the Kazakh government.
At a government meeting, Bektenov also instructed the Ministry of Energy and Samruk-Kazyna to ensure that power plant projects in Turkistan, Kyzylorda, Almaty and Ekibastuz are implemented on schedule and to prevent similar situations in the future.
"In the energy sector, the Head of State noted that the implementation of power plant projects in the cities of Turkistan, Kyzylorda, Almaty and Ekibastuz directly affects the country's energy security," Bektenov said.
The government noted that the chairman of the management board of Samruk-Energy JSC had previously been dismissed due to insufficient oversight of compliance with construction and commissioning deadlines for new generating capacity.
Samruk-Kazyna was also tasked with updating the country's unified energy balance through 2035 by the end of 2026. The updated balance is to take into account clean coal technologies, the development of renewable energy sources, and the planned start of construction of the Balkhash nuclear power plant in 2027.
On October 28, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in his Address to the People of Kazakhstan that construction of the Balkhash nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan could begin in 2027.
He said Kazakhstan should already consider how to ensure uranium supplies for its nuclear power plants over the next 50 years and beyond. Tokayev also said the proposal to establish a state strategic uranium reserve deserved serious consideration, as it could cover the needs of Kazakhstan's nuclear power plants for the next century.
