On June 27, 2025, in the Paris office of the ORANO Corporation, a delegation from the Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP, Almaty) led by Director General Sayabek Sakhiyev held negotiations with Mr. Bertrand Morel, Director of Research and Development at ORANO. Discussions centered around two priority areas: organizing a production cycle for the radiopharmaceutical isotope Pb-212 in Kazakhstan and joint development of nuclear fuel for Advanced Molten-Salt Reactors (AMRs).
Both parties discussed scientific and technical collaboration on fuel modules for AMRs, including the joint production and supply of uranium chloride-based fuels essential for sodium and molten salt reactor designs. INP and ORANO specialists agreed to establish a working group that will, by the end of 2025, deliver detailed market volume estimates, economic projections, and cost analyses for a pilot project justifying future production scale.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides emphasized the significance of their ongoing collaboration on the supply of Co-57 radioisotopes produced by INP for ORANO’s Laboratoire d’Étalons d’Activités (LEA). This successful partnership has confirmed the high quality of Kazakhstan's nuclear products and INP’s capability to fulfill international-level orders, laying a strong foundation for the expansion of cooperation.
On the same day, the INP delegation met with Mr. Rakhmet Nurzhan Kiyasedenuly, Counselor to the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan, at the Embassy residence in Paris. Sayabek Sakhiyev presented an overview of INP’s scientific programs and infrastructure, highlighting current joint projects with the French research organizations and opportunities for scaling them. Particular attention was given to the potential for public and private investment in the INP’s initiatives in Kazakhstan.
