ASTANA – France is ready to cooperate with Kazakhstan in the construction of the first nuclear power plant in the country and in studying the prospects for developing small modular reactors, said Minister-Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad Olivier Becht at a May 2 meeting with Kazakh Minister of Energy Almasadam Satkaliyev, reported the ministry’s press service.
Minister-Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad Olivier Becht at a May 2 meeting with Kazakh Minister of Energy Almasadam Satkaliyev. Photo credit: Kazakh Ministry of Energy.
The two sides also discussed energy transition and the fight against climate change, highlighting that increasing the use of renewable energy sources contributes to accomplishing decarbonization targets while enhancing Kazakh-French economic cooperation.
The parties signed a joint statement on the agreements reached on the tariff for electricity as part of the implementation of the giant Mirny wind farm project.
The project, with a capacity of one gigawatt in the Mirny village of the Zhambyl Region, is planned to be launched in 2026-2027. It is a project agreed upon during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to Paris last November, and it will be implemented by Total Eren and Samruk Kazyna, the sovereign wealth fund, and the KazMunayGaz national oil and gas company.
During the visit to the Kazakh capital, Becht met with President Tokayev and co-chaired the 15th session of the Kazakh-French Intergovernmental Commission.
