ASTANA (Interfax-Kazakhstan) — Kazakhstan’s National Atomic Company Kazatomprom will invite a financial consultant for its IPO slated for 2018, Kazatomprom CEO Askar Zhumagaliyev said. The IPO is scheduled for 2018.

“There are some issues relating to the IPO, which are now being addressed. In the fist place, we will invite a financial consultant to give us advice on the IPO”, he told journalists in Astana on Thursday.

The Kazakh government decided to expand the list of assets for privatization. The expanded list will now include 38 subsidiaries of Samruk-Kazyna, four subsidiaries of Baiterek and 14 government-owned assets, First Deputy Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev said earlier.

The major assets are expected to be sold directly to strategic partners or through IPO and SPO before January 1, 2018, and also through the International Financial Centre Astana. The subsidiaries where private investors already own shares will be auctioned off or sold through the direct sales method. The companies that are wholly owned by the government will go private through the sale of a controlling stake or 25% to 50% plus one share or more.

Kazatomprom is the national operator of the Republic of Kazakhstan for export of uranium and its compounds, rare metals, nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants, special equipment, technologies and dual-use materials.