Minister of Energy Bolat Aksholakov met with Vakis Ramani, EDF's senior vice president for the development of new international nuclear projects, for talks on bilateral cooperation in the field of peaceful use of atomic energyon 26 January, the ministry said.

EDF's proposal of an EPR-1200 reactor as the first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan was one of "a number of key issues" discussed, it added. It also noted the opening in 2021 of the Ulba-FA nuclear fuel assembly plant in Ust-Kamenogorsk, which uses Framatome technology to produce fuel for Chinese nuclear power plants.

The parties "expressed confidence in continuing the joint work on creating a mutually beneficial partnership for the development of nuclear energy," the ministry said.

EDF is one of four foreign potential suppliers of nuclear technology now being considered by Kazakhstan, alongside CNNC of China, KHNP of South Korea and Rosatom of Russia, the ministry said.