Kazakh-Chinese nuclear fuel plant Ulba-TVS reaches full capacity
Kazatomprom
The Ulba-TVS plant (a Kazakh-Chinese joint venture in Ust-Kazakh-Chinese joint venture) has reached its design capacity of 200 tons of low-enriched uranium in the form of fuel assemblies (FA), News.az reports citing Kazatomprom.
The 200 tons produced, in terms of low-enriched uranium, correspond to the amount of nuclear fuel required to reload 6 nuclear reactors.
Nuclear fuel production at Ulba-TVS was launched in November 2021 after certification by the owner of the AFA 3G design fuel assembly production technology, the French company Framatome, and recognition as a certified nuclear fuel supplier by the end user of the products, the Chinese nuclear corporation CGNPC-URC. It is noted that since the commissioning, the plant has been steadily increasing production volumes, following the schedule for achieving the design capacity within 3 years.
The implementation of this project ensured that Kazakhstan entered the limited circle of countries that supply nuclear fuel for NPPs.
CGN has been cooperating with Kazatomprom in uranium mining, natural uranium trading and pellet production since 2006.
Kazatomprom is the national operator of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the import and export of uranium, rare metals, and nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants.
The company mines uranium only in Kazakhstan and has the largest uranium reserve base in the industry of 300 thousand tons.
In 2023, the company accounted for 40% of the world's uranium production.
Kazakhstan's uranium concentrate meets more than 40% of the needs of peaceful nuclear energy and is supplied to almost all countries in the world where nuclear power plants are operated.
In October 2024, it became known that KATCO (a joint venture between France's Orano and Kazatomprom) plans to launch a uranium processing complex in southern Kazakhstan in mid-2025.
The uranium processing complex will be located in the Sozak district of the Turkestan region, in the southern part of the deposits of section No. 2 Tortkuduk of the Moyynkum deposit.
It is expected that this will ensure the total uranium production of the joint venture at the level of 4 thousand tons/year
The 200 tons produced, in terms of low-enriched uranium, correspond to the amount of nuclear fuel required to reload 6 nuclear reactors.
Nuclear fuel production at Ulba-TVS was launched in November 2021 after certification by the owner of the AFA 3G design fuel assembly production technology, the French company Framatome, and recognition as a certified nuclear fuel supplier by the end user of the products, the Chinese nuclear corporation CGNPC-URC. It is noted that since the commissioning, the plant has been steadily increasing production volumes, following the schedule for achieving the design capacity within 3 years.
The implementation of this project ensured that Kazakhstan entered the limited circle of countries that supply nuclear fuel for NPPs.
CGN has been cooperating with Kazatomprom in uranium mining, natural uranium trading and pellet production since 2006.
Kazatomprom is the national operator of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the import and export of uranium, rare metals, and nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants.
The company mines uranium only in Kazakhstan and has the largest uranium reserve base in the industry of 300 thousand tons.
In 2023, the company accounted for 40% of the world's uranium production.
Kazakhstan's uranium concentrate meets more than 40% of the needs of peaceful nuclear energy and is supplied to almost all countries in the world where nuclear power plants are operated.
In October 2024, it became known that KATCO (a joint venture between France's Orano and Kazatomprom) plans to launch a uranium processing complex in southern Kazakhstan in mid-2025.
The uranium processing complex will be located in the Sozak district of the Turkestan region, in the southern part of the deposits of section No. 2 Tortkuduk of the Moyynkum deposit.
It is expected that this will ensure the total uranium production of the joint venture at the level of 4 thousand tons/year
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