India to buy 5,000 tonnes of uranium from Kazakhstan

E-Paper | June 16, 2026

ASTANA: Kazakhstan on Wednesday signed an agreement with India to supply New Delhi with 5,000 tonnes of uranium over the next five years, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

“The signing of a contract to supply India with 5,000 tonnes of uranium from 2015 to 2019 is testimony of the systematic development of cooperation in the energy sphere,” Mr Nazarbayev said at a news conference.

Kazakhstan is the world’s leading uranium producer.

“We greatly value our relationship with Kazakhstan,” said Narendra Modi, adding it was “one of the first countries with which we launched civil nuclear cooperation”.

Kazakhstan supplied India with 2,100 tonnes of uranium between 2010 and 2014.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2015

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Akashwani

Jul 09, 2015 07:14am

It will be used for peaceful purposes.

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Factual

Jul 09, 2015 07:19am

Modi is on business trip and not on jolly trip

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javed

Jul 09, 2015 07:34am

great work done by mr modi keep it up

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karthik

Jul 09, 2015 07:35am

Good.. At least now pls produce more electricity from nuclear plants.. It still continues to be a minor fraction of our total energy output.. Sometimes its land, sometimes its NGOs, sometimes its safety, sometimes its nuclear liability n the list just goes on.. Nobody cares we are not an oil producing nation and we are already the second most polluted after China..at this rate, even my Mumbai will become like Beijing..have to walk around with masks.. Mr.Modi, you have 4 more years! Get it done ..at least start with baby steps!!

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Ali

Jul 09, 2015 07:42am

Wow!

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indian

Jul 09, 2015 08:05am

considering india's plan of producing 63,000 MW by 2032 from nuclear power and running systems like submarines and aircraft carriers on nuclear power, india needs every last bit of uranium out there form wherever it can find it

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indian

Jul 09, 2015 08:22am

Modi at work.. He will surely change india's future.. he is doing things which are not supposed to be possible. First Canada agreed to supply uranium which was not supposed to supply and now Kazakhstan. Anywhere he goes, he find business , brings businesses to India. You may say anything but you cannot ignore his hard work for his countrymen.

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guddu

Jul 09, 2015 08:32am

Our beloved PM

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Jason

Jul 09, 2015 08:38am

Smart man

Recommend 0

Jul 09, 2015 08:43am

Good job it will satisfy Indias growing demand of Electricity for years to come and will also curb pollution

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baba

Jul 09, 2015 08:45am

Every country is wanting to do business with India because of safe and secure environment, clean justic system, highly skilled human resources, oldest civilzation and great culture of 'world is one village' concept.

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Sachin Tandon

Jul 09, 2015 08:52am

Modi Ji at his best. Around the world, For India.

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bryan

Jul 09, 2015 08:52am

Power cost must not exceed ₹ 2 per unit.

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NORI

Jul 09, 2015 08:54am

Modi means business... One more success story in foreign relations..

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Gagan

Jul 09, 2015 09:01am

With 5000 ton of uranium , India can make 200 bombs. This is not good,Kazakhstan should not supply this uranium.

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Aftab

Jul 09, 2015 09:09am

@Gagan Its for Energy generation

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rajeev

Jul 09, 2015 09:17am

@Gagan India has plans for creation of Nuclear power plant with the help of japan,us,canada for which uranium is required as india faces shortage of electricity. Therefore agreements are been signed with multiple countries.

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Bajoy Kamshi

Jul 09, 2015 09:23am

Even this is not enough to power India's industries as economy is growing rapidly...there are several reactors in India that produce electricity..so naturally India is trying to fulfill its energy needs through nuclear power also.....had Pakistan allowed pipeline to come and opened up its territory then there will be less dependence on nuclear energy,also the insecurity that Pakistanis have will be cleared.....solution is Pakistan has to honestly say to India what its concerns are and why it feel threatened by India without thinking that by doing it national prestige is lost..see even Afghanistan is openly talking to Taliban not because they are afraid of them but to protect life of its citizens...we want same attitude from Pakistan and express itself openly

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smash

Jul 09, 2015 09:26am

@Gagan That's precisely why we need the uranium

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deepu

Jul 09, 2015 09:32am

The answer to those at home who criticize Modi for his 'joyrides'! Honestly regret for wasting my vote on Congress last time, may god bless you Narendra bhai!

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Honey Singh

Jul 09, 2015 09:44am

Half should be used for energy production and other half for country security.

Recommend 0

Jul 09, 2015 09:54am

@Gagan it's about supplying power for every day need. Think postive.

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Shobhit

Jul 09, 2015 10:03am

@Gagan Its not a free for all use. The mechanisms are in place to ensure that the Uranium does not get used for Bomb making purpose. However, this does free up the domestically generated and enriched Uranium to be used for Military purpose.

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iTellYou

Jul 09, 2015 10:04am

@Gagan Unlike Pak, India's first thought is to generate more nuclear power not making more bombs. India will be getting it's first breeder reactor on line in September. With this, India would enter the second stage of nuclear power generation. Only select countries have this capability. The third stage is power generation by nuclear fission(less waste).

Recommend 0

Jul 09, 2015 10:06am

@Gagan Its only for civil nuclear energy for more growth, development and energy demand.

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Kuku

Jul 09, 2015 10:28am

@baba I would not gloat at state India is in. Yes it is economically developing, but lot of problem, just heard that 49 people have died under mysterious condition in Vyapam scam and politicians are making jokes about the deaths. I am disgusted by the downfall of ethics and morality, which not a good sign for country that wants to raise. May be it is better than many countries, but there is blatant corruption and not much respect for law, hope Modi can inspire new generation and thing will improve.

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Nav

Jul 09, 2015 10:32am

Australia, Canada and now Kazakhstan.. looks like world is lining up to supply Uranium to Modi's India. Modi has built a good relationship with world leaders...for a long time, India's nuclear sector was having problem in securing Uranium... now there is oversupply...

Recommend 0

Jul 09, 2015 10:42am

A peaceful project of peaceful India

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IndianDawn

Jul 09, 2015 10:43am

Brabo Modi ji. One after another achievement. Makes us proud to be an Indian. Correct road map to Super power

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Real Mckoy

Jul 09, 2015 10:44am

Great work by Mr.Modi and his team. This will provide enough electricity to Indian industries and strengthen Mr. Modi's Make in India campaign... Super strategy..by our beloved PM

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no comments

Jul 09, 2015 10:46am

@Akashwani oh really how?

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Rohan

Jul 09, 2015 10:47am

@baba disagree on this "clean justic system"

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AIB

Jul 09, 2015 11:00am

Time has come to shift to thorium reactor and reduce our dependency on Uranium.India has largest thorium reserves in the world.

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M. Asghar

Jul 09, 2015 11:02am

One may by lot of uranium, but the important thing is the way it is used.

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Priya

Jul 09, 2015 11:34am

If only there was a way to harness energy from thorium. We have the largest deposits in the world. The Govt is working on developing projects for generating hydro electricity. We need to replace our dependence on coal with clean energy. Good move.

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Euro

Jul 09, 2015 11:41am

@Akashwani Peaceful purposes you say? That is actually not exactly the truth as this will help India built even more nuclear WMD weapons by freeing up their existing stockpiles for weapons. The world should take notice and Pakistan should bring this up in the UN.

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British

Jul 09, 2015 11:42am

Great work Modi..he is trying to build ties with even the smallest nations of the world and get all the business he can in any way. Therefore automatically increasing trade and investment around the globe. True visionary! and a great human being! GOD BLESS MODI

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Indian

Jul 09, 2015 11:53am

@AIB india has planned 3 stages of nuclear reactor..thorium based reactors are third stage....thorium only works when mixed with u232 uranium...u need uranium to even use thorium as fuel

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cmh

Jul 09, 2015 11:54am

Champion of peace in South Asia! Well done Modi g. American use of first ever use of nukes in Japan during WWII was also for peace and love to humanity. Carry on.

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Timur the Lame

Jul 09, 2015 12:08pm

@baba sorry to say but the oldest civilization in this world is Jericho in Palestine.

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Danyal

Jul 09, 2015 12:14pm

Well done Modi ji and team. Modi ji is a visionary leader and a true statesman. Thumbs up !!

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7TH SENSE

Jul 09, 2015 12:16pm

@Gagan : Uranium produces clean energy.7g of uranium is equal to 8 lac g of coal. Please go to Google and find out how much electricity can be produced with 5000 tons of uranium. please do this homework and get back to me.

Recommend 0

Kuladeep Patil

Jul 09, 2015 12:30pm

@AIB , You are correct Brother we have highest reserve of Thorium but we dont know exact locations, lot of mining and search is required to find and use it.. India need more than 1 lac MW of energy ... I agree your point that we should use thorium, but how long you will waste you time with Thorium alone.. import of Uranum and in house search and R & D on thorium is going on in parallel..

Recommend 0

Sasindran Ayadakandiyil

Jul 09, 2015 12:41pm

@Gagan u appears to be good in arithmetic !

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ANUP

Jul 09, 2015 12:48pm

This is good from energy point. Make in India program needs focus & kick -off and every production environment or factory needs electricity. Traditional energy sources like Coal or Water are not enough to meet our future needs. India's growing needs definitely require Nuclear energy & that is clean and environment friendly as well (keeping the safeguards it needs). As far as Atomic bombs are concerned, no way it will used to make 20-30 or 100 bombs as ONLY 1 Bomb is enough to completely wipe out a region and human existence. Overall, it is a very constructive development as uranium is coming in safe hands!

Recommend 0

Jul 09, 2015 12:51pm

Imported uranium or nuclear plants are always under IAEA inspection and scrutiny. And it has been agreed as like that by India during nuclear deal. So no question of India diverting the fuel for security purpose. Few of home grown plants are out of bound for IAEA though, which may or may not contribute to nuclear arsenal. However as per views India has already 100 nuclear weapons and those many should be enough to be a deterrent and affordable to maintain. I am not sure any sane country will use nuclear weapon in near future.

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From Jammu

Jul 09, 2015 12:51pm

Either way, but, would be used sensible manner..!

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MANISH

Jul 09, 2015 12:52pm

Developing India needs to increase Green Power ( Electricity ) production rapidly. For that India is trying hard in many fields including Solar & Wind along with Nuclear Power. The upcoming World Biggest Nuclear Power project is situated in India, for that India will need Uranium. Its good news that Kazakhstan will be able to provide it for India's Development. And as committed by PM Modi that he will focus not to develop India but all the Asia along with all neighboring countries.

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Sunil

Jul 09, 2015 12:53pm

Another step in making the region more unstable , thanks to US

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Rehan

Jul 09, 2015 01:10pm

Considering India consumes close to 1.1 million Gigawatts of electricity a year, 5000 tonnes of Uranium will produce electricity that will last less than 2 months for the whole nation. Hence, the purchase is not enough. Nuclear energy is a good alternative but India needs to focus a lot more on renewable sources of energy. States like Rajasthan having huge tracts of barren dessert lands receiving more than 300 days of clear skies. Chucks of such uninhabited areas should be literally converted into solar farms. More steps should be taken to develop wind energy as well. The Jawaharlal Nehru scheme provides a lot of incentives for producing solar electricity but more encouragement is needed from State governments. Examples of Gujarat and Bihar should be followed.

Recommend 0

A shah

Jul 09, 2015 01:21pm

Why can't our leaders be like Modi?

Recommend 0

ROHIT PANDEYRO

Jul 09, 2015 02:20pm

One thing for sure: Narendra Modi is a man in a hurry and likes to get things DONE!:)

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Kashmiri34

Jul 09, 2015 02:41pm

India produces only 2-3 % nuclear energy and 70% by thermal which is very polluted...it is very important for this subcontinent for clean energy.. Go ahead Mr.modi...canada Australia kazag. And may be japan will also agree..

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Ashutosh Mishra

Jul 09, 2015 04:47pm

@M. Asghar I must tell you that these sales don't happen between just two states. International agencies such as the IAEA are mandated to oversee the transfer to the recipient and material accounting to the last detail. The world isn't completely anarchical. So, rest assured this accord as also the Australian and the Canadian will happen under international guarantees and dedicated for peaceful purposes alone. There is no international law known to me that allows nuclear material sale between states for the sake of making nuclear devices for purposes of making threats of war or war itself...

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Anwar

Jul 09, 2015 05:09pm

Former Russian states are selling nuke arsenal and uranium to Iran,Israel and India and silence of the world is mysterious.

Recommend 0

Gulsan

Jul 09, 2015 05:20pm

@cmh there was no such place called palestine back in the days. The land of palestine and isreal was called 'judea'

Recommend 0

zeeshan

Jul 09, 2015 05:56pm

He is a joker who just signs agreement. nothing substantial coming out or will come out of his works.

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Girish

Jul 09, 2015 07:51pm

Solar power will achieve parity with Thermal power within next 2 years in India. I do not know if it makes sense to embrace nuclear power at this late stage... which is clean but can cause disaster. solar adoption will also help achieve "Make in India" plans in a big way....instead of sending billions to some third world outcast in central Asia.

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aslam shaikh

Jul 09, 2015 08:03pm

And I am sure this is for peace and not for building nuclear arsenal like Israel.

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AIB

Jul 09, 2015 08:17pm

@Indian India is going to commission its first thorium test reactor in 2016. India is leading in this technology from US and China.Th232 is not fissile material so to trigger it we need U232/plotoniun/U235.but that much reserves India do have.

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MANISH

Jul 09, 2015 08:23pm

@Rehan Currently India have 6000 MW of power produced from Nuclear. In future India is building 14 new Nuclear Power projects from which 4 are suppose get operational this year 2015 which will produce 4300 MW. And other 10 projects are in planned but yet to get completed. So overall India don't want to depend on one country which can provide Uranium there are others who are already helping India since many years. Canada , Russia , Mongolia, Argentina, Namibia and many others provide Uranium to India.

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surendra sukhtankar

Jul 09, 2015 09:29pm

@indian : Australia also signed-up to supply Uranium to India; Australian PM visited India just for that purpose. Don't be surprised if China builds Nuclear Power Plants in India. It is business , guys!!!!

Recommend 0

Jul 09, 2015 09:31pm

@Euro We have almost zero production of Uranium

Recommend 0

Abe

Jul 09, 2015 10:41pm

Folks commenting on Dawn are decent, not like the ones on TOI.

Recommend 0

R.S. Menon

Jul 09, 2015 11:03pm

@Girish. Solar power is costly - around Rs. 20 per unit. If you want to sustain"Make in India", then Solar power is not the answer. Moreover, solar power farms need vast areas of land and my be suitable to the state of Rajasthan only. You need comparatively cheap power like Atomic power to grow and sustain industrial production. Even though I support almost all other decisions of Modi Govt., I do not endorse his decision to go for one lakh MW of solar power. R.S. Menon, Bangalore

Recommend 0

raj

Jul 09, 2015 11:04pm

Business as usual for India. Modi doing a fantastic job of bringing central asia closer to India.

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Krishna

Jul 10, 2015 01:53am

Modi scored well in all his foreign trips. Couple this with 100 Bn $ investments in each of the sectors like railways, solar energy etc; in the next few years, and you have a country that is at the threshold of being a super power. Imagine what benefits a peaceful and friendly neighbourhood can derive from this.

Recommend 0

Zak

Jul 10, 2015 02:41am

Just feed your 80% poor people and pay back the $ 450 billion debt.

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Salim

Jul 10, 2015 02:43am

Why our Prime minister Modi always spend our precious money everywhere on useless things. Second hand planes from France, used Nucleuar reactor from Canada, tones of Uranium from Uzbekistan. He never sell anything. He is making us loser country.

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Tamil

Jul 10, 2015 02:45am

There he goes spending money and picking up irrelevant issues against Pakistan. He is not mature leader. Can't wait for next election.

Recommend 0

Bishwojit Bishwas

Jul 10, 2015 04:28am

Possibly there will be some sort of split between civilian use and research (bomb making wink wink)

Recommend 0

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