Kazakhstan Plans 100-Year Strategic Uranium Reserve by 2027

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has announced plans to establish a state strategic uranium reserve by the end of 2027 to secure fuel supplies for Kazakhstan's future nuclear power plants. The initiative aims to create a reserve capable of meeting national energy needs for the next 100 years, with a specific target of accumulating at least 150,000 metric tons of uranium by 2050.

The reserve will function as a multi-level system including underground deposits, physical stockpiles of natural uranium, and ready-to-use nuclear fuel. To facilitate this, the national uranium company Kazatomprom is currently exploring six sites covering more than 1,000 square kilometers, including the Kyzyltu area.

This energy strategy follows a 2024 nationwide referendum in which citizens approved the construction of nuclear power plants. The government intends for nuclear energy to provide 5% of the national generation mix by 2035. Construction of the first two-reactor facility, the Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant, is scheduled to begin in 2027 under the leadership of Russia's Rosatom. A second project, Moyynkum, will be led by the China National Nuclear Corporation, with an intergovernmental agreement expected by late 2027.