Franco-Kazakh venture launches key uranium plant in southern Kazakhstan
A new uranium processing plant has been launched in the Sozak district of Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region, according to Kazatomprom, the country’s national nuclear company.
The plant is located at the South Tortkuduk deposit and is operated by KATCO, a Kazakh-French joint venture in which France’s Orano Mining holds a 51% stake and Kazatomprom owns the remaining 49%.
The opening ceremony was attended by Kazatomprom CEO Meirzhan Yussupov, Turkestan Region Governor Nuralkhan Kusherov, officials from Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy, and executives from Orano Mining and KATCO.
The new facility has an annual uranium production capacity of 2,000 tons. The facility was constructed over three years, strictly adhering to international standards.
KATCO specializes in the exploration, mining and sale of uranium concentrate (U3O8 or uranium oxide). It operates in two sections of the Moiynkum deposit, No. 1 (Yuzhny) and No. 2 (Tortkuduk). The company was granted exploration and mining rights in March 1999 for a 25-year term, which was later extended through March 2039. In January 2018, it received a new mining allotment for the Tortkuduk section and its adjacent area, where additional uranium reserves were discovered.
According to audited financial statements for 2024, KATCO reported a net profit of 138.2 billion tenge (approximately $294 million), marking a 109% increase year-on-year. Total assets rose to nearly $707 million (up 29.9%), while liabilities reached $87 million (up 142.8%).
