Visit of the Ambassador of France and the CEA

From May 26 to 27, 2026, the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NNC RK) hosted a French delegation led by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Kazakhstan, with the participation of specialists from the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).
The visit was introductory in nature and aimed at strengthening bilateral scientific and technical cooperation. The French delegation was introduced to the experimental capabilities of NNC RK and visited key research facilities, including the IGR and IVG.1M research reactors, the ANGARA and EAGLE test-benches, and the KTM tokamak.
At the end of the visit, a technical meeting was held where the parties discussed the current status of NNC-CEA cooperation, as well as prospects for future collaboration.
A key topic of the discussions was the implementation of the joint SAIGA project, which remains one of the main elements of the partnership. The Memorandum of Understanding signed to support further work under the SAIGA project provides the basis for a new stage of cooperation. The next step will be the preparation and signing of an additional agreement to the existing contract.
Significant results have already been achieved within the project. Fuel for the in-pile experimental device and its physical mock-up has been manufactured, the mock-up has been produced, and reactor physics experiments have been carried out at the IGR reactor to determine the ratio of energy release in the fuel of the experimental device to that in the reactor core.
A sodium loop circuit has also been manufactured and is currently under installation. NNC RK specialists have completed a large amount of calculation, analytical, and safety justification work required for further project development. Preparations are continuing for new safety analyses to support the experiment.
The parties also discussed opportunities to expand joint research in the field of nuclear safety. Potential areas of cooperation include studies of fast reactor corium fragmentation during severe accident simulations at the EAGLE test-bench, as well as experimental investigations of sodium jet combustion processes.
Special attention was given to the development and safety assessment of small modular reactors, radioactive waste management, controlled thermonuclear fusion, and radioecology.
The parties also exchanged views on the further development of Kurchatov as a science city. Representatives of NNC RK expressed strong interest in France’s experience in developing scientific and technological clusters. As an example, the Cadarache research center, which hosts the international ITER project and CEA research facilities, was presented. The French side expressed its willingness to share its experience in developing advanced research clusters and to introduce NNC RK specialists to the capabilities of this scientific infrastructure.
The visit reaffirmed the parties’ shared commitment to strengthening their partnership, continuing joint research, and developing new projects at the experimental facilities of NNC RK. During the discussions, at least two promising projects were identified for potential implementation in the near future.