MOSCOW, Dec 17 (Reuters) -

Kazakhstan's state-controlled nuclear resources company said

on Tuesday that Russia's state Rosatom corporation was selling

its stakes in vast uranium deposits that it had been developing

with the world's largest uranium producer.

Kazatomprom said that Rosatom unit, Uranium One Group,

had sold its 49.979% stake in the Zarechnoye mine to SNURDC

Astana Mining Company Limited, whose ultimate beneficiary is

China's State Nuclear Uranium Resources Development Company.

Uranium One Group is also expected to give up 30% in the

Khorasan-U joint venture to China Uranium Development Company

Limited, the ultimate beneficiary of which is China General

Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN, China), Kazatomprom said.

Kazatomprom's stakes will remain unchanged, it said.

Zarechnoye's uranium reserves amounted to approximately

3,500 tonnes at the beginning of 2024, according to Kazatomprom.

Khorasan-U operates at the Kharasan-1 block of Severny

Kharasan deposit in the Zhanakorgan district of the Kyzylorda

region. Uranium reserves of the deposit amounted to about 33,000

tonnes at the beginning of 2024, with an expected maturity in

2038, Kazatomprom said.

Rosatom did not immediately comment. Uranium One

produced 4,831 tonnes of uranium in Kazakhstan in 2023.

Kazatomprom is the world's largest producer of uranium

and has the largest reserve base. It accounted for approximately

20% of global primary uranium production in 2023.