Askar Batyrbayev, the former Chief Commercial Officer of Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan’s national atomic company, has been arrested, according to Energy Intelligence which cited multiple sources. The Financial Monitoring Agency reportedly detained Batyrbayev on charges of “abuse of power,” although no official statement has been released.
Batyrbayev, who worked at Kazatomprom from 2006 to 2023, played a key role in the company’s efforts to increase transparency and strengthen relationships with Western fuel buyers following its initial public offering.
This arrest comes amid ongoing management changes at Kazatomprom. Concurrently, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has announced plans for a referendum this fall regarding the construction of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant. The proposed facility would be a 2.4-2.8 gigawatt twin-unit plant in the southeast region of the country.
Several international companies, including Rosatom, China National Nuclear Corp., EDF, and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, have submitted preliminary bids for the project.
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