Kazakhstan could mine 20,000 tonnes of uranium in 2012
ASTANA. March 29 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan plans to mine 20,000 tonnes of uranium in 2012, national nuclear corporation Kazatomprom said.
"Nearly 20,000 tonnes of uranium minus will be produced in Kazakhstan next year," the general director of Kazatomprom's Institute of High Technologies, Serik Kozhakhmetov, told reporters on Tuesday in Astana.
Kazatomprom president Vladimir Shkolnik revealed has said Kazatomprom might achieve output of 19,600 tonnes of uranium by the end of 2011.
Kozhakhmetov confirmed this year's target.
"Currently Kazakhstan is very flexible in setting production targets. We are mainly relying on the market forecasts and if the situation calls for it, we can produce as much as 30,000 tonnes. Kazakhstan's technological and natural resources allow for an easy and prompt response to the market demand. Kazakhstan is the only country that can ramp up the production by 20%-30% at very short notice," he said.
Kazakhstan mined 17,803 tonnes of uranium in 20010.
Kazatomprom is Kazakhstan's national operator for exports of uranium and its compounds, rare metals, nuclear power plant fuel, special equipment, technologies and dual-use materials.