Kazakhstan: Senate Approves New Rules for Moving Radioactive Cargo Across CIS

The Senate has ratified a CIS agreement regulating the transboundary transport of radioactive materials, Orda.kz reports.

The Senate’s Economic Policy Committee backed the law approving the agreement, which is meant to improve safety standards and harmonize national rules for transporting radioactive substances across CIS member states.

According to the bill’s conclusions, the document will help prevent delays in moving radioactive cargo and improve coordination between relevant authorities. It covers all types of transportation — rail, road, air, sea, and inland waterways.

Under the International Atomic Energy Agency’s definition, radioactive material includes any substance containing radionuclides whose concentration or total activity exceeds limits set in the IAEA’s transport safety rules.

Radioactive substances commonly shipped through Kazakhstan include americium-241, cesium-137, cobalt-57, iridium-192, germanium-68, barium-133, as well as natural uranium and other isotopes.

Kazakhstan is the world’s largest uranium producer and holds the second-largest reserves. Official data shows uranium exports rose from 19,700 tonnes in 2021 to 23,800 tonnes in 2024, reaching 8,800 tonnes in just the first half of 2025.

Under the agreement, each shipment will require permits from the exporting, transit, and importing countries, and contracts must outline accident-prevention measures, insurance coverage, and procedures for transferring responsibility for the cargo’s physical protection.

Original Author: Ilya Astakhov