Kazatomprom completes second China shipment, announces management changes

The delivery of fuel assemblies containing more than 30 tonnes of low-enriched uranium was hailed as a "significant historic event" by Kazatomprom Chief NFC Officer Dosbolat Sarymsakov, in the ceremony held to mark the acceptance of the assemblies at the Fangchengang nuclear power plant. "We are pleased to note the increasing dynamics of cooperation between our companies in the field of the nuclear fuel cycle," Sarymsakov said. "All our achievements are the result of the fruitful work of the Kazakh-Chinese team. I am confident that we will continue to strengthen and expand all areas of mutually beneficial partnership," he added.

The Ulba-FA LLP plant, at Ust-Kamenogorsk, was officially opened in November 2021, and made its first shipment to customer China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC-URC) in late 2022. The plant is expected to increase production to reach its full 200 tonnes per year capacity in 2024, Kazatomprom said. The plant has a guaranteed sales market for 20 years ahead. Several more batches of nuclear fuel from Kazakhstan to China are expected to be delivered by the end of this year.

"China is dynamically developing the nuclear industry and increasing the share of nuclear energy in its energy balance," An Junjing, chair of CGNPC-URC's board of directors, said, adding that as Ulba-FA LLP reaches its full capacity it will assume a "significant role in providing fuel to our power plants. We are convinced that through the efforts of our companies, the work on further deepening and expanding cooperation between our countries will continue".

Management change
 

Kazatomprom has announced the resignation of Alisher Taizhanov as its chief commercial officer from 12 June, a post he has held since January of this year, following the departure of  Askar Batyrbayev from that role. The company said it expects that Taizhanov, who has held senior positions in the Kazatomprom group of companies since 2013 and has made an "invaluable contribution" to the development of the alternative Trans Caspian transport route, will be appointed as CEO of one of its subsidiaries after "relevant internal corporate procedures" have been completed.

Dastan Kosherbaev, who is currently the director of Kazatomprom's sales department, has been named as Kazatomprom's new chief commercial officer with effect from 13 June.