Kazakhstan intends to dispose of radioactive waste from its planned NPPs at the former Soviet nuclear test site in Semipalatinsk, Deputy Chairman of the Atomic Energy Agency Gumar Sergazin told a briefing in Astana.
He noted that the operation of two 1,200 MWe reactors, such as those under construction at Kazakhstan’s first NPP in the Almaty region, will produce approximately 50 cubic metres of radioactive waste a year.
A bill on radioactive waste management, recently presented to parliament, outlines plans to develop burial sites within the Semipalatinsk nuclear safety zone. “This is already a contaminated area: the total area of the site is 18,000 square kilometres, of which about 8,300 are zones of elevated radiation,” Sergazin explained.
The National Nuclear Centre (NNC) is scheduled to begin site preparation in 2026. The depth of burial will depend on groundwater levels, with international norms typically placing high-level waste at depths of up to 400 metres. “Sanitary requirements will determine technical standards, including the type of cement and sealing techniques to prevent radiation leakage. Liquid radioactive waste will not be buried,” he said.
The Semipalatinsk site will serve as a centralised repository for waste from all future NPPs in Kazakhstan, he noted, adding that radioactive waste is already present in the country. Kazakhstan has accumulated approximately 293m cubic metres of radioactive waste to date, of which 290m cubic metres are low-level waste, Sergazin said. “The majority, about 237m cubic metres, is located at the Semipalatinsk test site,” he noted.
The remaining waste, consisting of medium and high-level material, originates from industrial and scientific operations. Key contributors include the NNC, the Institute of Nuclear Physics, the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in East Kazakhstan, and facilities in Western Kazakhstan such as Koshkar-Ata and the Chemical and Hydrometallurgical Plant.
The agency estimates that safe disposal of liquid radioactive waste alone will require around $40m. Given the scale and cost of the project, Kazakhstan intends to secure international grant funding. Sergazin said negotiations have begun with the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development. A draft agreement and roadmap have already been prepared as part of the Central Asia Environmental Safety Programme.
“Participating countries are expected to provide grant-based funding. Adoption of the new legislation will establish the legal foundation necessary to attract external resources, avoiding the need for increased domestic budget spending,” he said.
