Kazakhstan has significantly upgraded its nuclear fuel production capabilities at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP) in Ust-Kamenogorsk, East Kazakhstan by launching a new automated inspection line for uranium fuel pellets and expanding output of fuel assemblies.
The upgraded system now inspects three fuel pellets per second, using micrometre-level precision to ensure consistent dimensions and energy output. Each pellet, weighing 7.7 grams, generates as much energy as 700 kilograms of high-grade coal, making it an essential component of modern low-carbon energy systems, the plant’s press service reported.
The plant has also increased annual production of fuel assemblies to 300 tonnes a year, reflecting growing demand for nuclear fuel on international markets and Kazakhstan’s plans to build its own NPP.
“We plan to maintain the current production volumes to ensure a stable supply of fuel pellets for Ulba-TVS,” said Konstantin Kuzmin, director of UMP’s uranium production division. The factory’s facility Ulba-TVS, which produces complete reactor fuel assemblies, has reached its design output of 200 tonnes of uranium a year.
National nuclear company Kazatomprom noted that integrating high-tech fuel production enhances Kazakhstan’s role in the global nuclear industry. “We are building a full, high-tech value chain and strengthening Kazakhstan’s position as a reliable partner in the nuclear sector,” said Kazatomprom Board Chairman Meirzhan Yusupov.
Experts at the Ulba plant say they are ready to supply fuel components for the first Kazakh NPP, expected to be launched in 2035–2036. “We have extensive experience, including producing pellets for French and Chinese nuclear assemblies. If it is economically viable, we can manufacture the fuel assemblies for Kazakhstan’s future NPP,” noted Vladimir Vakhnenko, First Deputy Chairman and Chief Engineer at UMP.
Earlier, Kazakhstan began preliminary activities for the planned NPP in the village of Ulken, Zhambyl district, Almaty Region, with Rosatom leading the international consortium. The State Commission on the Atomic Industry had also identified a second prospective site for construction.
The modernisation of fuel pellet production and the commissioning of the Ulba-TVS plant mark an important stage in Kazakhstan’s development of a complete nuclear fuel cycle. Ust-Kamenogorsk is becoming a national hub for advanced nuclear technologies, enabling Kazakhstan not only to export raw uranium but to supply value-added, high-tech reactor fuel to global markets.
