Tokayev: Nuclear energy to become full-fledged sector of national economy

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In negotiations with this company, the relevant agency and the Government must, first and foremost, act in the national interests. All agreements signed must be fair, balanced and productive. We must not allow careless or inefficient use of our natural resources, particularly, uranium," the President said.

We must begin planning the construction of the second and third nuclear power plant. During our meeting with the President of China, we agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in the field of peaceful atom use," he added.

Our country ranks among the global leaders in uranium production, with 40% of the world’s uranium deposits concentrated in its territory. The construction of the nuclear power plant will drastically change the role of uranium in the economy," he noted.

The commissioning of the nuclear power plant will let complete the production cycle. Thanks to this, nuclear energy will become independent of foreign markets and will turn into a full-fledged sector of the national economy. This is an extremely complex objective and our scientists are imposed tremendous responsibility in its implementation," he stressed.

The country faces an acute shortage of qualified engineers and technical specialists, including in the nuclear sector. This is undoubtedly a highly pressing issue that must be addressed urgently. To date, 90% of university graduates hold bachelor’s degrees, while the share of PhD holders is less than 1%. It is crucial to raise the number of doctoral education grants, with priority given to technical disciplines," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.