Kazakhstan’s lower chamber of parliament, the Majilis, has approved in the first reading a draft law on radioactive waste management. This will establish a national operator responsible for handling radioactive waste and also ban the import and storage of foreign radioactive waste.
The National Operator for Radioactive Waste Management will centralise responsibility for nuclear and radiation safety. “International practice confirms the effectiveness of this model,” said Deputy Yedil Zhanbyrshin. “The existence of a national operator allows for a unified, safe and economically efficient radioactive waste management system, eliminates fragmentation of functions and guarantees common safety standards.”
According to the proposed legislation, the national operator would oversee the collection, transportation, processing and conditioning of radioactive waste, as well as the design, construction and operation of storage and disposal facilities. The operator would also maintain a state registry of radioactive waste, participate in international projects and conduct long-term monitoring of burial sites.
The draft law also defines the legal framework governing radioactive waste management, including classifications of radioactive waste, sources of waste generation and the legal status of storage and burial facilities. A key provision of the bill is a direct ban on the import, placement and burial of foreign radioactive waste on Kazakhstan’s territory. “This norm is aimed at protecting environmental sovereignty, national interests and state security,” Zhanbyrshin said.
The legislation would also introduce a unified state accounting and monitoring system for radioactive waste and clarify the responsibilities of government agencies involved in nuclear oversight. The government would make decisions regarding the construction and closure of radioactive waste burial facilities, while the authorised state body would be responsible for licensing, supervision and regulatory control.
Discussions also touched on the future management of used nuclear fuel from Kazakhstan’s planned NPP. Asset Makhambetov, Deputy Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Atomic Energy Agency, said the issue of used fuel disposal has not yet been fully resolved and that authorities are continuing to study international practices. “In Finland, they are building deep geological repositories. In the United States, despite having many nuclear reactors, used nuclear fuel is still stored near power plants because not all uranium is burned during reactor operation and, with proper processing, some of it can be reused,” Makhambetov said.
In December 2025, Kazakhstan’s National Nuclear Centre and Swiss National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (NAGRA – Nationale Genossenschaft für die Lagerung radioaktiver Abfälle) signed a memorandum of understanding that aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation in the field of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel management. It laid the groundwork for comprehensive joint work across site selection and justification, design and operation of radwaste disposal facilities, as well as specialised personnel training.
