Leader also calls for country to advance its position as world leader in uranium production
Kazakhstan must build nuclear power plants in the country to meet growing electricity demand and fix the “historical absurdity” of being a large uranium producer and yet having no nuclear power, the country’s president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a recent interview.
Speaking in the main Turkistan newspaper, Tokayev said that without reliable energy generation the country would not be able to transition to a technological economic model and be able to meet the electricity demands of new industrial complexes and data centres.
“The construction of several nuclear power plants is, on the one hand, a correction of the historical absurdity of being the world leader in uranium production without building a single nuclear power plant; on the other, it is a prestige boost for Kazakhstan,” said Tokayev.
He also said that Kazakhstan must become a digital power, and it was focused on developing artificial intelligence in the economy and public life, which will require large amounts of sustainable energy.
Kazakhstan plans to construct its first nuclear power plant called Balkhash on the banks of the Lake Balkhash, which is expected to employ two Russian Generation III+ WER-1200 pressurised water reactor units.
Tokayev has also called for the construction of further plants and for nuclear energy to represent around a 5% share of the country’s energy mix by 2035. Two further plants are also planned using Chinese technology.
Meanwhile, the US is eyeing moves into the country’s nuclear industry, with the recent announcement that it would establish a small modular reactor (SMR) classroom simulator at Kazakhstan’s Institute of Nuclear Physics in Almaty as a way to accelerate US SMR deployment.
Aim Is To Be World Leader In Rare Earth Metals
Speaking in the newspaper interview, Tokayev said the construction of such plants would require training skilled labour in the country, which in turn would also boost the economy.
The president also called for the country to further advance its position as world leader in uranium production and other rare earth metals. The country holds around 40% of global supply of uranium and is already the world's largest producer of uranium.
“Demand for these critical materials is expected to double over the next five years. This represents a new window of opportunity for Kazakhstan. It’s quite possible that we will become one of the world's leading reserves of rare earth minerals,” he said.
He added that in order to strengthen the country’s position in this strategically important area, that Kazakhstan had begun developing cooperation with the US, China, Russia, South Korea, Japan, and several European Union countries.
