A nuclear fuel bank to secure peaceful atomic energy

Kazakhstan is ready to play a key role in global security by hosting an international nuclear fuel bank under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency, writes Kanat Saudabayev, the country's secretary of state, in an exclusive commentary for EurActiv.

"Since regaining independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has been committed to the global process of non-proliferation and reduction of nuclear weapons. After the Soviet Union's collapse, we gave up the world's fourth-largest nuclear arsenal and the infrastructure of the old Soviet nuclear test site in Semipalatinsk was completely dismantled, starting in 1991.

IAEA seeks safety checks in all atomic energy states

(Reuters) - The U.N. atomic agency will carry out at least one safety inspection in each country with nuclear power plants in the coming three years under proposals aimed at preventing any repeat of Japan's nuclear crisis.

The draft document from the International Atomic Energy Agency, a revised version of a plan presented to IAEA member states this month, outlined a series of steps to help improve global nuclear safety after the Fukushima accident in March.