SAIGA: A New Stage of Cooperation

On June 5, 2025, the delegation from the National Nuclear Center of RK has visited to the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). 

The primary objective of the visit was a discussion meeting on the course of the implementation of joint Project SAIGA, and exchanged opinions in other areas of mutual interest to the Kazakhstani and French Parties.  

The Project SAIGA is implemented within the framework of the contract, signed in 2019, and referred to conducting of the experimental studies on the basis of IGR reactor. This program examines the studies of the prospect French reactor fuel assembly behaves under loss-of-coolant accidents.  

During the meeting, the Kazakh and French sides engaged in a discussion regarding the results achieved within the framework of the project and also identified key steps that need to be taken to successfully continue cooperation. A particular emphasis was placed on issues of technical coordination, the schedule for conducting experiments, and the further strengthening of the partnership between the NNC RK and the CEA. CEA colleagues disseminated plans for the development of the French nuclear industry, encompassing the establishment of novel fast neutron reactors as a component of the strategy to transition to a closed fuel cycle. The significance of collaborative research endeavors and the potential for future collaboration between the NNC and CEA were acknowledged. 

This visit became another significant stage for the development of international scientific-technical cooperation in the field of nuclear technologies and confirmation of the high level of trust between Kazakhstan and France.