Astana, Aug 8 (EFE) – Russian engineers have begun work on Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, launching a $14–15 billion project that officials say will anchor a new high-tech industry in the Central Asian nation’s economy.
Near the town of Ulken in the country’s south, specialists from Rosatom, Russia’s state atomic energy corporation, started drilling boreholes on Friday to collect soil samples and assess the site’s seismic stability and hydrological characteristics—key steps in determining a safe location for the facility.
“Today is only the first step, but it is the one that sets Kazakhstan on the path toward building a new high-tech industry within the country’s economy,” said Almassadam Satkaliyev, director of Kazakhstan’s Atomic Energy Agency, at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The plant is expected to be completed between 2035 and 2036.
Overcoming the legacy of nuclear testing
The severe impact on the population and environment from Soviet-era nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site in northeastern Kazakhstan had stalled the nuclear energy debate for years.
At the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan held a national referendum on Oct. 6 last year on building a nuclear plant in the south, with 71.12% of voters in favor.
Plans for further expansion
Following the vote, Tokayev announced plans for two more nuclear plants, which Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar said last week would be built by China. Their locations have yet to be determined. EFE