November 3, 2023 – Framatome signed an agreement with Kazatomprom to extend their cooperation in the field of the nuclear fuel cycle during the official visit of the French President Emmanuel Macron with the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. This took place during the France-Kazakhstan Business forum. The French delegation also included Olivier Becht, Minister Delegate to Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad and Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate for French Industry, as well as major French companies’ representatives.
"Framatome is honored to have concluded this extensive agreement with Kazatomprom, the world's largest uranium producer. This agreement bears witness to the trust arising from our historic strategic partnership involving several completed projects,” highlighted Bernard Fontana, Framatome CEO. “It also provides us with further opportunities to pursue and strengthen our collaboration with our Kazakh partners, and to contribute to advancing nuclear fuel technology and performance thanks to our decades-long proven expertise and know-how."
With this agreement, the parties will be able to further explore and implement promising new joint projects in the field of the nuclear fuel cycle, as well in the fields of education and the training of experts.
On the left Vincent Mercier, Framatome Fuel Business Unit Sales & Marketing VP, on the right Meirzhan Yussupov, CEO of Kazatomprom
“Framatome is one of the strategically important partners for Kazatomprom in the development of nuclear fuel cycle projects. I am confident that joint work will allow us to open up new prospects for the development of bilateral relations between our countries in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy”, said Meirzhan Yussupov, Kazatomprom’s Chief Executive Officer.
This mutual intention to further strengthen cooperation in the nuclear fuel industry leans on the experience Framatome and Kazatomprom already have of partnering on complex international projects such as the construction of the first fuel assembly manufacturing plant in Ust-Kamenogorsk in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Framatome provided fuel fabrication technology and license, as well as critical production equipment, engineering documentation and trained personnel, to build and certify the new plant located in Ust-Kamenogorsk, in the framework of a contract signed in 2016 between Framatome and Ulba-FA*.
* Ulba-FA is a Kazakh-Chinese joint venture whose founders are Ulba Metallurgical Plant JSC, subsidiary of Kazatomprom, and CGN-URC, subsidiary of CGNPC.