Kazakhstan sets up nuclear energy agency
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has appointed Almassadam Satkaliyev to head the new state body which will take over various functions and powers from Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry.
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Separate decrees signed by Tokayev on 18 March establish the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy as a state body directly subordinate to and accountable to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and appoint Satkaliyev - formerly Minister of Energy - as its chairman.
According to the decree, the agency will take on the functions and powers previously held by the Ministry of Energy "in the areas of subsoil use, use of atomic energy, ensuring radiation safety of the population, the creation and operation of the Semipalatinsk nuclear safety zone in the field of uranium production".
Tokayev had set out his intention to create the agency in an address to Kazakhstan's National Kurultai (Congress), on 14 March, when he said it was strategically important for Kazakhstan to create a "new energy industry" not only to meet its own needs but also to provide the foundation for economic development "for decades to come", including in the implementation of digitisation and the mass introduction of artificial intelligence - areas in which he said the country has "enormous" potential.
The support expressed by Kazakh citizens in last year's referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant paves the way for the implantation of this strategic task, Tokayev said. "For this very reason, I believe that it is necessary to build not one, but three nuclear power plants in Kazakhstan, ultimately creating a full-fledged nuclear cluster," he said. "Given the exceptional importance of this task, I have decided to establish the Nuclear Energy Agency under the President."
The Kazakh government has formally selected the Zhambyl district of Almaty region as the location for its proposed nuclear power plant, with ministers saying the aim is to select a technology supplier this year. Four technology suppliers being considered - China National Nuclear Corporation (HPR-1000), France's EDF (EPR1200), Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (APR-1000/APR-1400) and Russia's Rosatom (VVER-1200 reactor).
Earlier this week, Tokayev and Satkaliyev held separate meetings with China National Nuclear Corporation Director General Shen Yanfeng as part of Kazakhstan's ongoing negotiations with international partners.
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