Kazakh atomic company and China strengthen nuclear cooperation

ASTANA (TCA) — As part of the working visit of the First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev to China last week, the CEO of Kazakhstan’s National Atomic Company Kazatomprom, Askar Zhumagaliyev, met with the CEO of CITIC GROUP Corporation Chang Zhenming. The heads of the companies discussed further implementation of joint Kazakhstan–China projects as well as attraction of investments to the nuclear sector of Kazakhstan, Kazatomprom said.

During the visit, the head of Kazatomprom also met with the Chairman of the Board of China National Nuclear Corporation Sun Qin and the Director General of CITIC GROUP Corporation in Kazakhstan Sun Yang.

The parties discussed such issues as natural uranium transit from Kazakhstan through the territory of China, fuel pellets supplies to China, joint uranium mining, conversion plant construction in Kazakhstan, and application of nuclear technologies in medicine.

At the invitation of the Chinese colleagues, Askar Zhumagaliyev visited the conversion plant in Hengyang, Hunan province, where he got acquainted with the technology of uranium hexafluoride production.

The head of Kazakhstan’s national atomic company also met with the Director General of China General Nuclear Power Corporation Zhang Shanmin to discuss bilateral cooperation.

Kazatomprom and Chinese CGNPC earlier signed the Agreement of commercial terms for design and construction of FA production plant in Kazakhstan. Based on the Ulba Metallurgical Plant, the new enterprise is expected to produce fuel assemblies for Chinese nuclear power plants, with a capacity of 200 tons of FA per year.

Sergey Kwan

TCA

Sergey Kwan has worked for The Times of Central Asia as a journalist, translator and editor since its foundation in March 1999. Prior to this, from 1996-1997, he worked as a translator at The Kyrgyzstan Chronicle, and from 1997-1999, as a translator at The Central Asian Post.
divider
Kwan studied at the Bishkek Polytechnic Institute from 1990-1994, before completing his training in print journalism in Denmark.

View more articles fromTCA