Kazatomprom expects adjustments to its 2024 production plansKazakhstan’s National Atomic Company Kazatomprom JSC expects its 2024 production to be adjusted due to the challenges related to the availability of sulphuric acid, a critical operating material, as well as delays in completing construction works at the newly developed deposits, however remains committed to its 2024 delivery obligations, the company said in a Friday press release.In August 2022, Kazatomprom’s board of directors approved the company’s intention to increase production volumes in 2024 to a 90% level relative to Subsoil Use Agreements. The decision to shift production from 80% in 2023 to approximately 90% in 2024 (against Subsoil Use Agreements) was based primarily on Kazatomprom’s continued success in signing mid- and long-term contracts with new and existing customers, according to the press release.“Kazatomprom has been putting its best efforts and is continuing to work on securing the supply of critical operating materials and reagents, however the challenging situation around sulphuric acid is evolving in Kazakhstan and in the region. Given the growing demand from agricultural and industrial enterprises and shortages on both domestic and foreign regional markets, preliminary agreements with suppliers resulted in securing lower than required volume of sulphuric acid for 2024,” the press release says.While actively pursuing alternative sulphuric acid supplies, current projections indicate that the Company’s intention to achieve 90% production volume as per Subsoil Use Agreements in 2024 “may be challenging”, the company said.“The exact impact on the Company’s operational performance is now being assessed and will be detailed in the upcoming production guidance for 2024 as part of the Q4 2023 Trading Update, which is expected to be released no later than February 1, 2024,” the press release reads.As reported earlier, Kazatomprom expects it uranium production in the twelve months of 2023 to come to about 20,500 to 21,500 tonnes on a 100% basis and 10,600 to 11,200 tonnes on an attributable basis. The company earlier revised its sale outlook for 2023 upward to 18,000-18,500 from 17,500-18,000 tonnes of uranium.The 100% basis represents the entirety of production of an entity in which Kazatomprom has an interest; it disregards that some portion of production may be attributable to the company’s JV partners or other third-party shareholders.National Atomic Company Kazatomprom is the national operator of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the export of uranium and its compounds, rare metals, nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants and special equipment. The company’s shares and GDRs are traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and on the Astana International Exchange (AIX) of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC). (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX