Kazatomprom could be privatized in a year

/IRBIS, Jan.19, 00/ - According to REUTERS, which cites the statement of Muhtar Dzhakishev at the today's press-conference, the company's management is going to sell in the year the control packet or 67% of shares of the Kazakhstan nuclear company and the government agrees with that. "If you sell a control packet, it is possible to ask more money", - he has explained expediency of the sale. Dzhakishev believes that the privatization will allow with the help of the new influential shareholders to expand a seller's market of the company's production. "The following concept was offered: to conduct the tender among the strategic investors with the purpose of sale of a part of packet and then, using the new shareholders' influence, to extend the market", - he has told. "Cameco and Cogema and other companies show interest", - has told Dzhakishev. Dzhakishev has added that shortly the Ulba metallurgical plant in the east of Kazakhstan is going to exchange by the equivalent 36% of shares with one from the Russian nuclear factories. Dzhakishev has added that before Kazakhstan mined about 1,500 tons of uranium annually. The best level of production was achieved in 1991 - about 4,000 tons. Today Kazakhstan provides about three percents from the world uranium production and potentially can "to cover some years all world uranium demand". Kazatomprom is an monopolistic nuclear holding company. It is engaged in exploration, production and refining of uranium and accompanying rare earth elements. It includes some mines, Volkovskaia geological enterprise and Ulba metallurgical plant. The company exports production in Russia, Southern Korea, USA, Belgium and other West European countries.