Russia starts work on bordering nation’s first nuclear power plant

(MENAFN) Russian state nuclear company Rosatom has begun engineering surveys to select the site for Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, marking a project deemed strategically vital for the country’s future. Despite Western attempts to exclude Russian technology from global markets after the 2022 Ukraine conflict escalation, Rosatom continues advancing projects and signing new contracts worldwide.

Rosatom announced on Friday that surveys and design preparations are underway in Kazakhstan’s Almaty Region. CEO Aleksey Likhachev, present at the project launch, emphasized its strategic importance for Kazakhstan’s development. Almasadam Satkaliyev, head of Kazakhstan’s atomic energy agency, called the plant a key driver for long-term economic growth regionally and nationally.

The planned plant will use Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors, already proven at facilities in Russia, Belarus, Turkey, Bangladesh, Egypt, and China. It is expected to be operational by 2036.

Earlier this year, Kazakhstan also revealed plans for two more nuclear plants to be built by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Since January, Rosatom has expanded cooperation agreements with countries like Malaysia, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The company is also building India’s largest nuclear facility, Kudankulam, where it is the sole foreign contractor.

In Europe, Rosatom resumed work this year on Hungary’s second nuclear plant after a pause caused by US sanctions. It is also constructing the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Turkey, a NATO member.

In 2023, President Vladimir Putin praised Rosatom as a global leader in nuclear energy, with projects spanning multiple continents.

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