Asia has several large uranium producers in Russia, Uzbekistan, China,
India, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Most are state owned, but French Uranium
miner Cogema has been active with projects in the CIS.
Russia has massive uranium stockpiles at around 200 000 250 000t.
Kazakhstan was the Soviet Union's largest uranium producer, but production has fallen nearly two thirds since the break-up of the USSR. The Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMZ) of Kazakhstan is the country's largest
producer of uranium, niobium, tantalum and beryllium. Kazakhstan holds 30 percent of the world's uranium reserves and is at present the fourth largest uranium producer in the world.
Israel's Sabton Ltd. is planning to invest $100 million into KazSabton, a local uranium mining and beneficiation complex.
Cogema and Cameco the established French and Canadian Uranium miners have begun development of deposits in Kazakhstan.
Chinas main producer is the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)
100% owned by the government of China.
Chinas main producer is the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd, wholly
owned by the India Government
NMMC and the French company COGEMA completed feasibility studies on uranium
mining projects west of Tashkent, focussing on the Surgaly deposit in central
Kysylkum desert.