French energy company Électricité de France (EDF) proposed to supply their EPR-1200 reactor for the construction of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, QazMonitor reports.
Energy minister Bolat Akchulakov met with Vakis Ramani, senior vice-president for the development of new international nuclear projects at EDF on January 26. They discussed a number of key issues regarding bilateral cooperation in the peaceful use of atomic energy.
Akchulakov noted that France can manufacture a whole cycle of nuclear fuel production, making the country an important partner in the advancement of nuclear technology.
EDF in particular stands out by being the largest power-generating company in France and power plant operator in the world with a vast energy portfolio consisting of nuclear, hydropower, gas, fuel oil, coal, and other resources. The company currently operates 56 reactors with a capacity of 61.4 GW in France.
In 2021, the Ust-Kamenogorsk plant Ulba-TVS was launched to produce ready-to-use nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants in China using the French technology Framatome.
After President Tokayev’s meeting with EDF CEO Luc Remon last November, it is expected that there will be tighter technological cooperation.
Kazakhstan has been considering different suppliers with high-capacity reactor technologies for its first nuclear power plant, which is being built to address the imminent energy crisis that is predicted to hit Kazakhstan in the next few years.
The top four contenders for the project include China's CNNC, Russia's Rosatom, France's EDF, and South Korea's KHNP.