LONDON, January 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lady Barbara Judge, a previous chairman of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, said Kazakhstan is poised to be a leader in the field of nuclear energy, with several planned nuclear power facilities.

In a wide-ranging interview to Open Central Asia magazine, Lady Judge, a member of the Order of the British Empire, said of Kazakhstan, "If they want to become serious players they can be, but they clearly need the regulatory advice. They have huge resources of uranium and will become global suppliers, so if we start to engage with them we can have a real input."

After her tenure at the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Lady Judge now devotes much of her time as an advisor to Kazakhstan's emerging nuclear program. She said that Kazakhstan will unveil a nuclear regulatory authority that will adequately provide safety when the plants go online. Lady Judge did not specify a timetable for the opening of nuclear power plants, but said they are rapidly developing alongside new oil and gas fields in the Caspian region.

"Nuclear is not the solution, but it is clearly part of the solution," Lady Judge said. "As industrialization continues we need every type of energy source available on the planet. Nuclear provides important base load generation for the world. It's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, unlike many of the renewables."

Lady Judge became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 2010 for her contributions to the nuclear and financial services industries. Recently she was appointed chairman of the UK Pension Protection Fund. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the UK Government's Energy Group and served as Deputy Chairman of the Financial Reporting Council from 2004-2007. In 1980, Lady Judge was appointed by President Carter as the youngest ever Commissioner of the US Securities and Exchange Commission.