Kazakhstan is considering establishing a state strategic uranium reserve to ensure fuel supplies for its future nuclear power plants, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Agency Almassadam Satkaliyev said.

According to Satkaliyev, the agency is reviewing its approach to uranium resource management, treating uranium not merely as a raw material but also as a strategic resource for the country's long-term economic development, The Caspian Post reports, citing Qazinform.

Speaking at a meeting of the Qurultay Committee on Economic Policy, Industry, and Energy, Satkaliyev said the agency was examining the possibility of creating a state strategic uranium reserve to secure fuel supplies for future nuclear power plants.

He explained that Kazakhstan's nuclear industry development strategy through 2050 envisages reserving at least 150,000 tons of uranium by that year, as well as developing and approving a conceptual framework for establishing the strategic reserve.

The agency is currently working to determine the approaches and mechanisms required to establish the reserve, taking into account the country's long-term nuclear energy needs.

"The strategic reserve is expected to be developed as a comprehensive, multi-level system covering the entire nuclear fuel supply chain, from reserving uranium deposits underground to building physical stockpiles of natural uranium, reserves of ready-to-use nuclear fuel, and other mechanisms," Satkaliyev added.