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Nuclear Energy

Kazakhstan Officially Backs Nuclear Power Referendum

The government of Kazakhstan has approved a draft resolution to hold a national referendum on constructing a nuclear power plant (NPP). The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, discussed the prospects for developing nuclear energy in the country. Energy Minister. Almasadam Satkaliyev noted that the referendum will allow Kazakhstanis to make an important decision about the future of the country's energy security. Bektenov emphasized that Kazakhstan has mastered almost the entire cycle of nuclear fuel production and has experience with small reactors. However, the current shortage of energy capacity requires new solutions to avoid purchasing electricity from abroad. With the global abandonment of coal-fired power plants and the limited potential of renewable energy sources, the development of nuclear power is the most promising direction. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, 415 nuclear power units operate worldwide, and 61 new units are under construction in 15 countries, including China and the UK. With its significant uranium resource base, Kazakhstan can ensure stable electricity tariffs and independence from raw material price fluctuations. Modern NPPs have a multi-level safety system that meets IAEA international standards. According to Bektenov, nuclear power should become the basis for Kazakhstan's energy-intensive economy, stimulating innovation and industry development. The draft resolution was supported unanimously. The Ministry of Energy and the Government Office were instructed to submit a draft decree to the Presidential Administration. Talks on constructing a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan have been ongoing for many years; the idea of the need for a nuclear power plant first appeared after the closure of the Soviet reactor in Aktau in 1999. Since then, the country has repeatedly raised questions about the development of nuclear power, especially in the context of improving energy security and climate change resilience. However, public opinion remains divided; many people in the country remember the consequences of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site and fear environmental risks. In 2021, discussions about constructing a nuclear power plant intensified when a possible site for Kazakhstan's first atomic power plant began to be considered in Almaty Oblast, near the village of Ulken. These plans sparked lively public debate and protests among residents and environmentalists. President Kassandra-Jomart Tokayev proposed a national referendum to give citizens a say on this critical issue.

Water

Kazakhstan’s Kapchagay Reservoir Fills Up For First Time In A Decade

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced on August 26 that the Kapchagay reservoir outside Almaty was completely full for the first time in ten years. Created in 1970 as an artificial lake, 100km long and up to 25km wide in places, the reservoir can hold more than 18 billion cubic meters of water. The reservoir collects water from the Ili River, which originates in China. This spring, the ministry said up to 900 cubic meters of water per second flowed into the reservoir, attributing the increased inflow to the melting of the Tien Shan mountain glaciers and higher than usual rainfall. The reservoir was initially meant to regulate the flow of the Ili River on its way to Kazakhstan’s largest lake, Balkhash. Today, it is used for irrigation, fish farming, and recreation. Located a one-hour drive from Almaty, its beaches are popular with holidaymakers. According to Medet Kerimzhanov, deputy head of the Balkhash-Alakol basin inspectorate, the last time the Kapchagay reservoir was 100% full was in 2014. Today, 750 cubic meters of water per second are released from the reservoir to irrigate fields. Kerimzhanov added that the irrigation season in the region will continue until the end of September. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Water Resources said it was drafting an intergovernmental agreement between Kazakhstan and China on distributing water from transboundary rivers — the Ertis, the Ili, and the Emel. To date, the parties have reached a consensus on several provisions of the future agreement, the ministry said.

Economy

China to Build a Trade and Industrial Park in Astana

Last week, Xinjiang Hengyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd., based in the Chinese city of Baiyang, and Kazakh Invest signed a memorandum to implement the construction of a trade and industrial park, spanning 50 hectares, in Astana. As reported by Kazakh Invest, the project is expected to positively impact the development of critical sectors of Kazakhstan's economy, including logistics, warehousing, processing, trade, and real estate management. The project will also attract Chinese trade and manufacturing companies to operate in Kazakhstan. Yan Wang, Deputy Mayor of Baiyang, commented: "We are entering this project with great enthusiasm, seeing the enormous potential of Kazakhstan as a key logistics hub in the region. Creating the Kazakhstan-China Trade and Industrial Park in Astana will significantly expand the country's logistics capabilities and strengthen its role as an important transit corridor between East and West. We believe this project will catalyze attracting new trade flows and manufacturing." Yerzhan Yelekeyev, Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Invest, added: "This project opens up new horizons for cooperation between Kazakhstan and China. The creation of the Kazakhstan-China Trade and Industrial Park in Astana will not only accelerate the development of key sectors of our economy -but-also create numerous new jobs.”

Education

With the Russian Language Waning in Central Asia, Will Other Languages Replace It?

Russian is still the most widespread foreign language in Kazakhstan, though its role is declining there, and across Central Asia in general. At the same time, the people of the region have been slow to learn other languages, in part due to economic factors such as slowing globalization, according to the Kazakhstani political analyst Zamir Karazhanov, who is head of the Kemel Arna Public Foundation. The language of cities Since declaring independence in 1991, all the counties of Central Asia have made promoting their national languages a priority. But foreign languages, which link the region with the rest of the world, have also historically been seen as critical. In practice, however, the study and use of foreign languages other than Russian is not widespread. The Russian language is losing its prominence in Kazakhstan as the number of ethnic Russians declines. According to official statistics, as of January 1, 2024, Russians made up 14.89% of the country’s population, down from close to 40% in 1989. Nevertheless, thanks to the education system and Kazakhstan’s proximity to Russia, the level of proficiency in Russian remains high. In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Russian is a second official language. In Tajikistan, it is called the “language of interethnic communication”. In Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, however, it does not have an official status. More than 90% of Kazakhstanis know Russian to some degree, while 20% of the population considers it their native language. Meanwhile, those figures for Turkmenistan are 40% and 12% respectively. In Kyrgyzstan, about 44% know Russian and 5% consider it their native language; in Uzbekistan, it is about 50% and 2.7%; and in Tajikistan, 55% and 0.3%. Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly spoken about the need to preserve the Russian language in Kazakhstan, and the unacceptability of language-based discrimination. Last year, he unveiled the International Russian Language Organization, established by the CIS Heads of State Council. “The new organization is open to all countries and, of course, very relevant from the point of view of global humanitarian cooperation,” explained Tokayev, while underlining that measures to promote the Russian language in the Eurasia region and elsewhere are congruous with the trend of strengthening national identities. “Kazakhstan will continue the policy of bolstering the status of the state language of Kazakh,” Tokayev said at the time. Today, Kazakhstan has many Russian-language media, while Russian remains the lingua franca at meetings among post-Soviet countries. Even though Russian is concentrated in big cities, all Kazakhstanis receive a significant amount of western and other foreign news from Russian sources. “Russian is spoken in most of Kazakhstan. In the biggest city, Almaty, communicating in Russian is not a problem. But, if you move 30-50 km outside the city, it gets harder to speak it. Russian is the language of cities and the language of interethnic interaction,” the political analyst Karazhanov told The Times of Central Asia. “Of course, the number of native speakers of the Kazakh language is growing, and the number of Russian speakers is declining, but Kazakh...

Agricultural Export

Kyrgyzstan Seeks to Increase Production and Export of Fish

On August 23, Bakyt Torobayev, Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan, attended ceremonies to launch the construction of two fish processing plants in the country’s northern Chui region. The first plant, to be built in the village of Leninskoye at the cost of over $4.3 million, will have an annual capacity is up to 3,000 tons of processed fish products (mainly trout) and up to 8,000 kg of black sturgeon caviar. When operational, the second in the village of Ak-Jol, will create 45 new jobs and have an annual production capacity of 1,000 tons of chilled trout, 1,000 tons of frozen trout, 800 tons of smoked fish, and 400 tons of dried fish. Kyrgyzstan currently produces about 30,000 tons of fish annually, of which only 5,000 tons are exported. Citing the fact that the country had conditions to produce 105 thousand tons and export 50 thousand tons of fish, Torobayev recommended that emphasis be placed on the construction of processing enterprises. According to official statistics, in 2023, Kyrgyzstan produced 33,600 tons of fish and exported 5,556 tons of fish and fish products, mainly to Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Lithuania. Fish (mainly trout) are produced in Kyrgyzstan at artificial ponds and fishery farms at lakes Issyk-Kul and Son-Kul.

Nuclear Energy

Who Will Benefit if Kazakhstan Refuses To Build Nuclear Power Plants?

Kazakhstan is facing a growing energy deficit while having large reserves of uranium which would allow the country to develop its nuclear power industry. However, so far, uranium mined in the country is used solely for export, and every year difficulties with supply chains only increase. All these problems can be solved in one elegant way, but this solution is what a part of the Kazakhstani public actively opposes. Difficulties with production and supplies Kazakhstan ranks second in the world in terms of proven reserves of natural uranium. About 14% of the world's proven reserves are concentrated in the country's subsoil. According to estimates, the country's explored reserves contain more than 700,000 tons of uranium. In 2009, Kazakhstan became the world's largest uranium producer and continues to maintain its leading position in the global market, producing approximately 40% of the world's uranium. In 2021, uranium production in Kazakhstan amounted to 21,800 tons, but by 2023 this had decreased to 21,112 tons. Moreover, due to difficulties related to the availability of sulfuric acid, the national company Kazatomprom reduced production plans for 2024. According to the initial plan, between 25,000 and 25,500 tons were to be produced; now, the plan is to produce 21,000 to 22,500 tons. Kazatomprom has also stated that if limited access to sulfuric acid continues through 2024 and the company fails to reduce the construction backlog at new sites, it could have a negative impact on production plans for 2025. Uranium mining in Kazakhstan is carried out solely by in-situ leaching, the most environmentally safe and lowest-cost method available. The Russia-Ukraine conflict could not help but affect this area of Kazakhstan's exports. This year, it became known that Kazakhstan is working on diversifying its uranium export routes, bypassing Russia. This is stated in the report on implementing the concept of development of Kazakhstan's fuel and energy complex for 2023. As part of this, Kazatomprom is working on an agreement with the Chinese companies CNUS, CNEIC, and CNNC to provide uranium transit services through China. Kazakhstan currently transports uranium products to customers in North America and Europe through the port of St. Petersburg. An alternative way is to use the Trans-Caspian international transportation route, with shipments through the ports of Aktau (Kazakhstan), Alyat (Azerbaijan), and Poti (Georgia). Nuclear deadlock Obviously, some of the concerns of Kazakhstan's leadership and Kazatomprom regarding the sale of uranium products could be alleviated by developing the country's own nuclear industry, meaning that uranium mined in the country would feed its own nuclear power plants. Talks about the need to build nuclear plants in the country have regularly been raised since the beginning of the 2000s. Kazakhstani nuclear physicists and nuclear specialists, with the persistence of a Don Quixote have periodically rush to attack the windmills of Kazakhstani radio-phobia, which, however, did not arise without reason. The Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) and the Chernobyl disaster are two significant elements of this phobia. In the early 1990s, when the SNTP was closed, the...