Kazakhstan moves to establish 100-year state uranium reserve as nuclear build programme advances

Strategic reserve directive

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has formally called for the creation of a state strategic uranium reserve designed to supply the country's future nuclear power plants for the next 100 years. Speaking in an address to the nation, Tokayev described the initiative as reasonable and directed that it be comprehensively developed.

Following the address, Tokayev was briefed by Kazatomprom's chairman on measures under way to establish the reserve. Kazatomprom is currently conducting geological exploration across six areas totalling more than 1,000 square kilometres, with additional exploration planned for the Kyzyltu area, which covers 124 square kilometres.

Almassadam Satkaliyev, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Agency, told a parliamentary committee that the national development strategy targets the reservation of at least 150,000 tonnes of uranium by 2050. Work is ongoing to develop and approve a conceptual framework for the reserve. Satkaliyev described the intended structure as a multi-level system spanning the full nuclear fuel supply chain — from in-ground deposit reservations through physical stockpiles of natural uranium to inventories of ready-to-use nuclear fuel.

Balkhash NPP: financing and EPC contract in place

An intergovernmental agreement covering key principles and export loan financing for the Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant was signed in May during a state visit by Russia's president. Preliminary cost estimates for the two-unit plant stand at approximately USD 14.4 billion, with a further USD 2 billion earmarked for physical security systems and social infrastructure.

Russia's Rosatom signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract for the plant in September. The facility is designed around two VVER-1200 pressurised water reactors. Construction is targeted to begin in 2027, with the first unit aimed at entering operation in 2034.

Second and third plants under development

China National Nuclear Corporation is confirmed to build a second nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, sited in the Zhambyl district adjacent to the Balkhash location. The government has set a target for nuclear energy to account for 5% of national electricity generation by 2035.

Sites are currently being examined for a third plant. Medium-sized units in the 300–600 MW range are under consideration for that project, with potential applications including heat supply and water desalination in addition to electricity generation.

Production context

Kazakhstan holds approximately 14% of global uranium resources and has been the world's leading uranium producer since 2009. In 2025 the country produced around 25,839 tU, representing roughly 40% of total world output. The scale of domestic production underpins the strategic rationale for securing long-term fuel supply for a growing domestic reactor fleet.

FANCO and Hyundai E&C Formalise Five-Year Service Agreement for EAGL-1 SMR

First American Nuclear Co (FANCO) and Hyundai E&C signed a master service agreement on 30 October at the Korean contractor's Seoul headquarters, converting a July framework arrangement into a formal, five-year contract for work on the EAGL-1 small modular reactor project. The agreement may be extended beyond five years by mutual consent.

Under the contract, Hyundai E&C will carry out constructability reviews, provide design and engineering technical consulting, and deliver technical feedback relevant to construction. The parties also intend to explore Hyundai E&C's potential future role as an engineering, procurement, and construction partner on the project.

EAGL-1 Design and Fuel Strategy

EAGL-1 is a 240 MWe lead-bismuth cooled, fast-spectrum SMR conceived for factory fabrication and scalable multi-unit deployment. The design supports a closed fuel cycle in which used fuel is continuously reprocessed and reused. FANCO has stated that the reactor will primarily use mixed-oxide fuel and other transuranic fuels drawn from existing US Department of Energy stockpiles, though the system is also capable of operating on high-assay low-enriched uranium.

FANCO describes this fuel-flexible approach as a means of sidestepping supply-chain constraints while drawing down the United States' inventory of long-term nuclear waste. The company also offers a BridgePower configuration that initially generates power via conventional package boilers and steam turbines, with the EAGL-1 reactor later replacing the boilers while retaining the same turbine infrastructure.

Regulatory and Partnership Context

FANCO submitted a regulatory engagement plan for EAGL-1 to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission in April, initiating pre-application engagement with the regulator. In May, FANCO formed a strategic alliance with AtkinsRéalis, under which the Canadian engineering firm provides engineering services to support deployment of the EAGL-1 SMR and associated fuel facilities.

Hyundai E&C has been broadening its SMR-sector relationships in parallel. The Korean contractor recently signed memorandums of understanding with US SMR developers NANO Nuclear Energy and ARC Clean Technology, signalling wider ambitions in the next-generation nuclear construction market.

MAST Upgrade Heating Power Doubled with Installation of Double Beam Box

New Component Installed at Culham

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has completed the installation of a double beam box on the MAST Upgrade spherical tokamak at its Culham campus near Oxford. The component houses two neutral beam injectors arranged in a double-decker configuration, bringing the total number of injectors on the machine to four and doubling its heating power to 8.8 MW. The upgrade also doubles achievable plasma temperatures, which UKAEA says will allow researchers to investigate plasma conditions and technologies relevant to future fusion power plants.

The double beam box vessel has a volume of 20 cubic metres and is fabricated from 316L stainless steel, a material selected for its vacuum compatibility under the ultra-high vacuum conditions required inside the vessel.

Timeline and Additional Upgrades

UKAEA expects all major hardware to be manufactured and installed within the vessel by the end of Autumn 2027, with scientific experiments scheduled to begin in 2028. Andrew Thornton, Head of MAST Upgrade Operations at UKAEA, described the lift of the double beam box as a significant step forward, noting that the increased heating power will allow the team to study the stability of higher-pressure plasmas and assess how the machine's exhaust system performs under hotter, higher-performance conditions.

Alongside the neutral beam work, UKAEA has this year installed an electron Bernstein wave (EBW) system providing an additional 1.6 MW of heating power. The EBW technology is also planned for use in the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), the United Kingdom's prototype fusion power plant to be sited at West Burton in Nottinghamshire. Current work on MAST Upgrade additionally involves the transfer and repurposing of power supply equipment from the Joint European Torus (JET), which was retired in 2023 after four decades of operation.

Research Objectives and STEP Linkage

MAST Upgrade has three principal research aims: investigating novel exhaust concepts, advancing the spherical tokamak design as a candidate for a future power plant, and extending physics knowledge in support of the broader fusion programme. A central focus is the divertor, the component responsible for managing particles and heat ejected from the plasma. UKAEA notes that intense power loads in future large-scale fusion machines risk damaging divertor components, potentially requiring replacement every few years and undermining the economic competitiveness of fusion energy. The programme aims to develop divertor solutions that reduce power loads to manageable levels.

In August, MAST Upgrade completed its fifth experimental campaign, during which it achieved its highest recorded plasma pressure while addressing plasma instability issues regarded as essential prerequisites for commercial fusion power. The machine is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and participates in the EUROfusion European Medium-Sized Tokamak Programme.

STEP, which draws directly on MAST Upgrade research, is targeted to begin operating by 2040. Its stated technical objectives include delivering net electricity output greater than 100 MW, achieving tritium self-sufficiency, qualifying materials and components under fusion conditions, and establishing a viable path to affordable lifecycle costs.