Potential production impact of stoppage being assessed
Kazakhstan’s national uranium producer Kazatomprom said on Monday (27 January) that its joint venture with Canadian uranium miner Cameco has resumed operations at block 1 of the Inkai deposit.
Operations at the thein situ recovery mine were suspended on 1 January owing to a lack of required approvals, stemming from the delayed submission of documentation.
Kazatomprom reported that the Inkai JV had resolved the issue and that the potential impact of the production suspension on its 2025 production plans was being assessed.
Kazatomprom holds a 60% interest in JV Inkai, while Cameco owns a 40% share.
Inkai is a key uranium deposit in the Turkestan region of southern Kazakhstan.
There are two production areas, known as blocks 1 and 2, and an exploration area, block 3. In June, Kazatomprom signed a subsoil use agreement for pilot production at the block 3 deposit.
The block 3 deposit contains uranium resources of 83,100 tonnes of uranium (tU), Kazatomprom has said.
Kazatomprom is the world’s largest producer of uranium and has the largest reserve base. It accounted for approximately 20% of global primary uranium production in 2023.
