Every year on September 28, nuclear industry workers in Kazakhstan celebrate their professional holiday. Officially, Nuclear Industry Worker's Day was established by Decree of the President of the Republic of May 12, 2008. The very fact of the establishment of the holiday at the legislative level speaks of the great role of the nuclear industry in the country's economy.
The history of the development of the nuclear industry in Kazakhstan goes back to the Soviet past, when during the Great Patriotic War in 1942, the leadership of the USSR set Soviet scientists the task of developing the use of atomic splitting energy (first in the military industry, later – in peaceful energy). It was the date of issue of the order of the State Defense Committee of the USSR «On the organization of work on uranium» – on September 28, 1942, that became the basis for choosing the date of today's holiday. In Russia, this day is also considered the birthday of nuclear energy and a professional holiday for nuclear industry workers.
In Kazakhstan, in the post-war years, this industry received active development. In 1951, the first uranium deposit – Kurdai was discovered, then the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR was opened, research and experimental nuclear reactors and new deposits for the extraction of natural uranium were developed and put into operation. The history of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, where nuclear and thermonuclear weapons, as well as a hydrogen bomb, were tested, starting in August 1949, deserves special attention.
Currently, the nuclear industry of the Republic is developing exclusively in the direction of peaceful nuclear energy. The last test explosion at the Semipalatinsk test site occurred in 1989, and in August 1991 the test site was completely closed. In 1992-1993, Kazakhstan renounced nuclear weapons, and soon they were removed from the territory of the Republic.
Further development of the nuclear industry in Kazakhstan began with the formation of the National Company «Kazatomprom» in 1997. The basis of the nuclear industry of the Republic – natural uranium deposits. Today, Kazakhstan ranks second in the world in terms of available reserves of this type of fuel, second only to Australia. In terms of the amount of uranium production, the Republic ranks first in the world.
It is the production and sale of uranium that makes Kazakhstan and the «Kazatomprom» company desirable partners for many countries in the world, including those among the strongest and most developed. Among Kazakhstan's partners in the nuclear industry are Russia, South Korea, Japan, the USA, China, Canada, France and others. The modern nuclear industry of Kazakhstan – is an integral participant in the global nuclear energy sector.
On the holiday of September 28 in Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Energy holds ceremonial and festive events, meetings dedicated to the Day of Nuclear Industry Workers, at which managers and representatives of companies forming the nuclear industry of the Republic, researchers from the Institute of Nuclear Physics speak.