Japan firms, Kazatomprom tie on nuclear fuel-paper

TOKYO, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Co (9503.T) and trading house Sumitomo Corp (8053.T) will join with state-owned Kazakh nuclear firm Kazatomprom to process uranium into nuclear fuel, the Nikkei business daily said on Wednesday.

The two Japanese companies, which are seeking to secure a stable supply of nuclear fuel, will sign an agreement with Kazatomprom in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, it said.

Kazakhstan is home to a fifth of global uranium reserves and wants to become the world's top producer by 2010, surpassing Australia and China. (Reporting by Edwina Gibbs; Editing by Mike Miller)