Postmodern Studio/Shutterstock Save for later Print Download Share LinkedIn Twitter The world's largest uranium producer has since 2018 worked to secure an alternative transportation route to the west from its primary route through Russia and the Port of St. Petersburg. But since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February and the ongoing threat of sanctions on Rosatom and its subsidiaries, Kazatomprom has felt mounting pressure to secure a comparable pathway for Class 7 material across the Caspian and Black Seas. Last week on the sidelines of the World Nuclear Association's annual symposium in London Energy Intelligence's Jessica Sondgeroth sat down with Kazatomprom's Chief Commercial Officer Askar Batyrbayev to discuss the company's efforts to not only secure the new export route but to bring down costs as they compare to the well-established St. Peterburg route. (After fighting broke out earlier this week between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Batyrbayev answered one further question via email.) Batyrbayev also provided an update on China National Uranium Corp.'s (CNUC's) Alashankou Uranium Bonded Warehouse and the prospects for Kazatomprom's interest in taking part in a mooted trading hub there.
