Kazatomprom to transport uranium to North America through China

Wednesday, 2 September 2015

Kazakhstan and China have agreed to the procurement of temporary storage services of natural uranium concentrates in China and transit through China to the western ports of the USA and Canada.

The agreement was signed yesterday by Askar Zhumagaliyev, CEO of Kazatomprom and Liu Chunsheng, president of China Nuclear Energy Industry Corporation (CNEIC) during Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's state visit to China.

Kazatomprom said this cooperation between the two countries will enable it to diversify supply routes for its uranium products on the world market.

CNEIC is the nuclear fuel cycle products import-export subsidiary of a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Zhumagaliyev met with Qian Zhimin, general manager of CNNC to discuss "a number of issues on the further development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear power", Kazatomprom said.

The Kazakh uranium producer and CNNC have "a long history of cooperation", it said.

Kazakhstan signed a framework strategic cooperation agreement with CNNC in September 2007 and this was followed in October 2008 with another on "long-term nuclear cooperation projects" under which CNNC was to invest in a uranium mine. Late in 2007 Kazatomprom signed an agreement with both China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group Holdings (CGNPC) and CNNC for them to take a 49% stake in two uranium mine joint ventures and supply 2000 tU per year from them. Kazatomprom estimates that 20% of its uranium output goes to China, with the possibility of this increasing with demand as production heads for 25,000 tU/yr. In February 2011, CNNC signed a contract to buy 25,000 tU.

Early in 2009 Kazatomprom signed an agreement with CGNPC for establishment of a specialized company for the construction of nuclear power plants in China, since Kazakh plans to work with Russia's Atomstroyexport developing and marketing innovative small and medium-sized reactors had been put on hold. In mid-2009, a feasibility study on this joint CGNPC project was underway, but no more has been heard since.

In September 2011 Kazatomprom signed a strategic cooperation deal with CNNC to supply ceramic uranium-oxide fuel pellets. A pilot batch was made at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in Ust-Kamenogorsk and delivered to CNNC. In December another deal was struck with CGNPC covering long-term supply of fuel pellets.

Kazatomprom has more than 27,000 employees and is amongst the leading uranium production companies in the world. It noted that the CNNC Group has 110 subsidiaries and 100,000 employees and operates 12 nuclear power reactors, with a total capacity of 9800 MWe.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News