Kazakh atomic company and China strengthen nuclear cooperation

BEIJING, July 12, 2016 (Xinhua) — Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (R) holds talks with First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev during a meeting of the China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee in Beijing, capital of China, July 12, 2016. Zhang and Sagintayev are co-chairs of the meeting of Committee. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) (wjq) (cxy)

China last week, the CEO of Kazakhstan’s National Atomic Company Kazatomprom, Askar Zhumagaliyev, met with the CEO of CITIC GROUP Corporation Chang Zhenming. The heads of the companies discussed further implementation of joint Kazakhstan–China projects as well as the attraction of investments to the nuclear sector of Kazakhstan, Kazatomprom said, Times of Central Asia report.

During the visit, the head of Kazatomprom also met with the Chairman of the Board of China National Nuclear Corporation Sun Qin and the Director General of CITIC GROUP Corporation in Kazakhstan Sun Yang.

The parties discussed such issues as natural uranium transit from Kazakhstan through the territory of China, fuel pellets supplies to China, joint uranium mining, conversion plant construction in Kazakhstan, and application of nuclear technologies in medicine.

At the invitation of the Chinese colleagues, Askar Zhumagaliyev visited the conversion plant in Hengyang, Hunan province, where he got acquainted with the technology of uranium hexafluoride production.

The head of Kazakhstan’s national atomic company also met with the Director General of China General Nuclear Power Corporation Zhang Shanmin to discuss bilateral cooperation.

Kazatomprom and Chinese CGNPC earlier signed the Agreement of commercial terms for design and construction of FA production plant in Kazakhstan. Based on the Ulba Metallurgical Plant, the new enterprise is expected to produce fuel assemblies for Chinese nuclear power plants, with a capacity of 200 tons of FA per year.