Kazakhstan, Jordan to establish joint uranium venture

Kazakhstan and Jordan plan to set up a joint venture to develop uranium deposits in Jordan by the end of 2026.

According to reports from Kazakh media cited by Caliber.Az, Nurlan Zhakupov, head of Kazakhstan’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna, confirmed the plans.

He said that exploratory and pilot studies on the extractability and enrichment potential of uranium in Jordan will take place throughout 2026.

If these studies prove positive, a joint venture will be established, with Kazakhstan’s state-owned Kazatomprom holding a 70% stake and Jordan’s national uranium company Jumco holding 30%.

Kazakh specialists will lead the development of the Jordanian uranium deposits.

Zhakupov added that an agreement between Kazatomprom and Jumco on the joint venture will be signed during the upcoming visit of King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Kazakhstan is the world's leading producer of uranium, accounting for approximately 43% of global output in 2022. This dominance is primarily due to the operations of Kazatomprom, the state-owned national atomic company, which manages 26 mining sites across 13 deposits in the Turkistan, Kyzylorda, and North Kazakhstan regions.

Kazatomprom employs in-situ leach (ISL) technology, a method that minimises environmental impact and is well-suited to Kazakhstan's geological conditions.

In 2024, Kazatomprom's uranium production increased by 10% to 23,270 tonnes of uranium (tU), with attributable production rising to 12,286 tU. The company plans to further boost production by at least 7% in 2025, aiming for a total of 25,000–26,500 tU.

Kazatomprom's strategic partnerships, such as the joint venture KATCO with Orano, enhance its production capacity and global market reach. 

By Aghakazim Guliyev