The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, on Wednesday accentuated the vast potential for cooperation in nuclear energy with France, upon opening the plenary session of the French-Kazakh Business Forum held in Astana, alongside his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.
“Kazakhstan is the world’s largest producer of uranium, accounting for over a quarter of Europe’s nuclear fuel consumption. With nuclear energy comprising 63% of the French energy sector, the potential for cooperation is immense,” stated the Kazakh leader.
Tokayev, highlighting the three-decade-long diplomatic relations that have made both countries “natural partners,” praised the role of the French mining company Orano, which is involved in the extraction and enrichment of uranium in Kazakhstan.
Macron, for his part, referred to the cooperation in nuclear energy as “long-term” and emphasized the significance of these projects in developing an ecological agenda, noting that “without these materials, it is impossible to produce or have low-carbon emission electric vehicles.”
Tokayev linked the advancement of nuclear cooperation to environmental protection, mentioning that “like France, Kazakhstan is a regional pioneer in this field.”
“We were the first country in Central Asia to ratify the Paris Agreement, and we aim for carbon neutrality by 2060,” he declared.
The Kazakh president highlighted the growing international involvement in Kazakh renewable energy projects, such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power, and specifically mentioned the French company TotalEnergies, which invested $100 million in a wind farm in the Central Asian nation.
The nuclear cooperation between Astana and Paris is set to broaden its scope: on Wednesday, the Kazakh state investment fund Samruk-Kazyna discussed with Nicolas Maer, the Chief Operating Officer of Orano, the possibility of undertaking joint strategic projects in third countries.
KATKO, the French-Kazakh joint venture for uranium extraction and processing established in 1996 by the state miner Kazatomprom and Orano Mining, a Kazakh subsidiary of the French multinational, reported that Maer expressed readiness to explore these new projects.
The French-Kazakh Business Forum held Wednesday in the capital of Kazakhstan saw significant French representation, including more than 40 companies from France.
Before the event, the presidents of both nations held a meeting, and the parties signed a series of cooperation agreements, particularly in the energy and industrial sectors.
Currently, around 170 companies with French participation operate in Kazakhstan, including Total, Orano, Alstom, Danone, Vicat, Saint Gobain, among others involved in high-technology projects. EFE