As North Korea continues to voice threatening rhetoric regarding its nuclear weapons ambitions we at NRG Expert, the market research company, would like to highlight some progressive national policy: the peaceful nuclear industry ambitions of Kazakhstan.
A nation that once held the 4th largest nuclear force in the world (inherited after the collapse of the USSR), [2] Kazakhstan hopes to once again be a nuclear industry leader. However, having implemented a strict anti-proliferation policy (all inherited nuclear weapons had been transferred to Russia by 1995) the nation is striving to be a world leader in the safe and peaceful use of nuclear technology for economic development. [2] Working in concert with the IAEA, Kazakhstan plans to develop a “nuclear fuel bank under the International Atomic Energy Agency’s jurisdiction.”[1] The Goal is to provide access to fuel for civilian reactors and discourage nations from developing domestic uranium enrichment capacity. [1] It is argued that this would also deter nations from developing weapons-grade materials.
There is much hope that this ambitious plan could yield positive results. One of the primary goals is to deter proliferation of nuclear weapons by providing a source of low-enriched uranium via a transparent, internationally monitored system. Kazakhstan, it is argued, is well positioned to accomplish this; it has an exemplary safety record and a “thriving nuclear sector.” [3] In addition, Kazakhstan has considerable nuclear resources with an estimated 15% of the world’s uranium reserves and 35% of global uranium production as of 2011.[4]
Continue reading at Kazakhstan Hopes to be Centre of Peaceful Nuclear Industry
