Astana, 2 November. Kazakhstan intends to set aside at least 150,000 tonnes of uranium for its future nuclear plants by 2050, Almasadam Satkaliev, chairman of the Atomic Energy Agency, said at a meeting of the Kurultai committee on economic policy, industry and energy.
Uranium and nuclear plants
- 150,000 t
uranium reserve by 2050 - 100,000 t
reserve by 2040 - 2027
start of construction work at the Balkhash site - 10,000
workers at the peak of building one plant - 1,800
workers to operate it - 30%
localisation target for the first plant
According to the Atomic Energy Agency
- 150,000 t
According to him, the task is written into the Strategy for the Development of the Nuclear Industry to 2050, and the agency is now working out the mechanisms of a state strategic reserve that takes into account the long-term needs of the domestic nuclear power industry. The reserve is planned in several tiers: from keeping uranium reserves in the ground to building physical stocks of natural uranium and finished nuclear fuel. For subsoil use this means a change of approach: “uranium is not just a raw material but a strategic reserve for the country’s future economic development,” Satkaliev said.
What counts as a reserve was already explained by the agency in its reply to a BAQ.KZ request, published on 21 October. It then named two milestones — 100,000 tonnes by 2040 and 150,000 tonnes by 2050 — and clarified that this does not necessarily mean warehouses of mined uranium: the reserve is to be provided first of all by fixing part of the already confirmed mineral base and managing the pace at which reserves are brought into production. The agency said an administrative export restriction on uranium is not under consideration: domestic consumption will be considerably below current output, and the country’s international contractual obligations and export positions are preserved. In the same reply the agency cautioned that without growth in reserves and the launch of new deposits, output after 2035 could fall to roughly 20,000 tonnes a year; this is one scenario, not an approved forecast.
The task of creating a strategic uranium reserve for future nuclear plants was set by the President in the Address of 28 October; in the same document he instructed the government to ensure the timely start of construction of the Balkhash plant and to speed up preparation of the intergovernmental agreement on Moiynkum. Satkaliev reported on the progress of these projects at the same meeting. At the Balkhash site, engineering surveys are being completed; in May 2026 intergovernmental agreements on the main terms of the project and its financing were signed, in June they were ratified, and in September an EPC contract was concluded — an agreement under which one contractor is responsible for design, supply and construction. Construction work at the site is planned to start in 2027. For the Moiynkum project the construction area has been determined — the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region — and intergovernmental documents are being prepared.
The agency has also counted the people: at the peak of construction of one plant with two power units, more than 10,000 workers will be needed, and about 1,800 for its operation. On 23 September the government approved a comprehensive plan for training personnel for the nuclear industry for 2027–2031. A localisation target of 30% has been set for the first plant, backed by a plan of 22 measures in four areas, including modernisation of existing enterprises and creation of new production.
What it means: The reserve is designed in tiers. Its basis, according to the agency’s earlier explanations, is a claim on the ground: part of the confirmed reserves is set aside for future plants and brought into production gradually. At the meeting, physical stocks of natural uranium and finished nuclear fuel were added to this, while the overall volume and deadline remain as before — at least 150,000 tonnes by 2050.
Who benefits: According to the agency, the reserve is meant for future plants, which will need raw material for decades ahead; existing export contracts are not affected. The agency sets itself the task of ensuring real participation of Kazakh producers and suppliers in building the plants under the 30% localisation target.
Background: The Balkhash NPP is Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, and the project is being implemented with the participation of Rosatom.
We have also reported that the Energy Ministry plans to commission 13.3 GW of new capacity by 2029 — the report was delivered at the same Kurultai committee.
