Tuesday, July 24, 2012 -
The chief of Kazakhstan's national nuclear agency visited Canada last week to cut new deals and expand cooperation between the world's two largest uranium producers, Kazakhstan's foreign ministry said Monday.
Kazatomprom President Vladimir Skolnik was on a working trip to the Canadian province of Ontario to bolster collaboration with Canada's Cameco Corporation, the ministry said.
Part of the expansion is expected to involve Kazakh-based uranium mining joint venture company Inkai, which is 60 percent controlled by Cameco, the world’s second largest producer. Kazatomprom holds the remaining shares in the venture which operates in South Kazakhstan province.
Inkai outputs around 2,000 tons of the power metal annually.
The two companies intend “to reach a new stage of mutually beneficial cooperation, envisaging the development of partnership in refining production, and further conversion of uranium ore for the production of fuel for nuclear power plants," the ministry said.
Both countries expect to ink an intergovernmental cooperation agreement on nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as a key condition ahead of transferring advanced technologies in refining and conversion of uranium.