Centrus MOU with Kazakh Company Specifies ‘Mutually Beneficial Relations’ on Uranium

Centrus Energy and the Kazakhstan government-owned nuclear holding company KazAtomProm have signed a memorandum of cooperation that specifies the development of “mutually beneficial relations” on competitive supplies of Kazakhstan’s uranium to the world market, the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington, D.C., announced Saturday. The document, which appears to not have been released, was signed by KazAtomProm Chairman Askar Zhumagaliyev and Centrus Senior Vice President Kevin Alldred during Zhumagaliyev’s official visit to the U.S. last week, according to the embassy. The Kazakh company is the world’s top uranium producer, and Centrus supplies enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants in the U.S. and around the world. Centrus did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the memorandum.

 

Kazakhstan became the leading supplier of uranium to U.S. nuclear power plants in 2014, surpassing Australia, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest Uranium Marketing Annual Report. U.S. reactor owners and operators in 2014 purchased 23 percent of their uranium from Kazakhstan, 20 percent from Australia, and 18 percent from Canada.