Astana, Jun 14 (EFE).- The Russian atomic agency Rosatom has been selected to lead the consortium tasked with building Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, the Central Asian country’s Atomic Energy Agency announced Saturday.
“Rosatom has been designated leader of the international consortium for the construction project of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant,” the agency said in a statement.
Kazakhstan evaluates global nuclear technology providers
In addition to Russia, Kazakh authorities also considered several potential nuclear technology providers, including China’s CNNC, South Korea’s KHNP, and France’s EDF.
Just hours after naming Rosatom, Kazakh authorities revealed that China may take the helm in constructing a second nuclear facility.
“We want to see Chinese technologies in Kazakhstan for the construction of another nuclear power plant,” said Almasadam Satkaliyev, head of Kazakhstan’s nuclear agency.
He added, “There are not many countries in the world capable of managing the entire nuclear cycle on their own. And, of course, China is one of the states that possesses all the necessary technologies.”
A final decision on the second plant will be made “after analyzing all the details,” but China is currently the leading candidate for that partnership.
Referendum signals public support for nuclear energy
At the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan held a national referendum on October 6, 2024, regarding the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country’s south. The initiative was approved by 71.12% of voters.
“It is of strategic importance for us to create a new energy industry that will provide a solid foundation for dynamic economic development in the coming decades,” the Kazakh leader explained.
Tokayev stated that Central Asia’s largest country “needs not one, but three nuclear power plants.”
Historic shift after decades of post-Soviet nuclear skepticism
For decades, debate over the use of nuclear energy in Kazakhstan was stalled due to the lingering effects on the population and environment caused by nuclear tests conducted in Semipalatinsk, the former Soviet Union’s nuclear testing ground located in Kazakh territory. EFE