(MENAFN) Russian state nuclear company Rosatom has begun engineering surveys to identify the location for Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power facility, in what project leaders describe as a vital step for the nation’s future development.

Despite attempts by Western states to reduce Russia’s role in global technology markets since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Rosatom has continued to expand its international operations, signing fresh agreements with several countries.

In a statement on Friday, the corporation confirmed that “engineering surveys to determine the optimal site and prepare design documentation for the future high-capacity NPP” are now underway in Kazakhstan’s Almaty Region.

Rosatom chief executive Aleksey Likhachev, who attended the launch event, called the initiative “strategically important for Kazakhstan’s development.” The head of Kazakhstan’s atomic energy agency, Almasadam Satkaliyev, described the project as the nation’s “strategic choice and a driver of long-term regional and national economic growth.”

The facility will be equipped with Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors, a model already in service in Russia, Belarus, Turkey, Bangladesh, Egypt, and China. Current plans project the plant’s completion and operation by 2036.

Kazakhstan has also announced intentions to construct two additional nuclear facilities with the help of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Since the start of this year, Rosatom has signed new cooperation deals with Malaysia, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The company is also building India’s largest nuclear complex, Kudankulam, where it remains the sole foreign contractor.

In Europe, Rosatom resumed work earlier this year on Hungary’s second nuclear plant, a project first launched in 2014 but delayed by US sanctions until restrictions were lifted. Meanwhile, in Türkiye, the company is continuing construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant.

In 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Rosatom as unmatched in the global nuclear industry, with projects spanning multiple continents.

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