ASTANA, Kazakhstan, February 1. Sales volume of Kazatomprom Group (KAP, the national nuclear company of Kazakhstan) amounted to 18,069 tons of uranium from January through December 2023, which is 10 percent more than the same period in 2022 (16,358 tons), Trend reports.
Data from Kazatomprom shows that for the fourth quarter of 2023, sales were 5,863 tons, which was 94 percent more than the fourth quarter of 2022 (3,025 tons).
As the company noted, throughout 2023, both Group and KAP sales volumes were higher compared to 2022, primarily due to additional requests from customers to flex up their annual delivery quantities within the frame of existing contracts, as well as some new long-term contracts with the delivery in a prompt window during 2023.
Sales volumes may vary substantially each quarter, and quarterly sales volumes vary year to year due to the timing of customer delivery requests during the year, and physical delivery activity.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan ranks second in the world in terms of proven natural uranium reserves. The depths of the Republic of Kazakhstan contain around 14 percent of all proven world reserves. The entire proven reserves of uranium in the country are expected to be more than 700,000 tons.
Kazakhstan surpassed the United States in uranium production in 2009 and continues to dominate the global market.
Kazakhstan accounts for almost 40 percent of global uranium output. The volume of uranium production in 2021 was 21,800 tons, while the volume in 2022 was 21,300 tons.