NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan’s largest uranium producer, the national atomic company Kazatomprom, has extended the period of reduced production by another month and intends to gradually increase the number of personnel in mines from early August, if it is deemed safe, the company’s press-service said.
The extension of preventive measures for another month is not expected to have a significant impact on the company’s forecasts for 2020 in terms of production, the volume of which is expected to be from 19,000 to 19,500 tonnes of uranium on a 100% basis.
Kazatomprom also said that under the condition of safety, the pace of suspended auxiliary work will increase step by step and gradually, starting with the resumption of the drilling program at exploration sites. Then, in the first week of August, production personnel of mining enterprises are expected to return to the mines to resume field development activities, the company said.
Kazatomprom Chairman Galymzhan Pirmatov recalled that in April the company announced measures taken to protect personnel to reduce the number of workers in production to the lowest possible level for a three-month period. “During this period, the company followed the restrictions imposed by the government and medical recommendations, but we believe that the risks associated with the pandemic remain at a high enough level for the full return of production personnel to the field,” he said.
Pirmatov earlier said that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many industries to reconsider their approaches to their activities. Rising uranium prices amid falling prices for oil and other commodities confirmed the uniqueness of the uranium market. Stable demand for uranium products and a reduction in long-term market surplus have a positive effect on the price of uranium, which increased by 40% in 2020.
