(MENAFN) Kazakhstan has identified a second location for a nuclear power facility, signaling a major expansion of its atomic energy strategy as the country battles electricity shortfalls in its southern regions.

On Wednesday, Almassadam Satkaliyev, head of the national atomic energy agency, announced that the planned site is situated in the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region, the same area where construction on Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant began earlier this year.

“This site is also located in Zhambyl district of the Almaty region. In other words, our second plant will also be built in the south of the country, where there is currently an energy deficit,” Satkaliyev stated, according to media.

The announcement followed a meeting of the state atomic industry commission in the Majilis, Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament. Satkaliyev emphasized that the southern energy gap is currently being covered via imports through the International North-South Transport Corridor, a 7,200-kilometer (4,500-mile) logistics route connecting India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe.

“The new station will ensure reliable and stable energy supply,” he said, adding that discussions with potential suppliers and contractors are ongoing.

While a final contract has not been awarded, Satkaliyev noted: “No final decision has been made regarding the Chinese company, CNNC (China National Nuclear Corporation). However, based on the proposals submitted, we consider it as the priority contractor.”

The announcement comes just weeks after Russia's state nuclear agency Rosatom disclosed that construction had begun on Kazakhstan’s first nuclear plant. Engineering surveys are currently underway in the village of Ulken, also in the Almaty region.

The country took a decisive step in October 2024, when roughly 71% of voters backed the development of nuclear energy in a nationwide referendum. The vote was prompted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who called it “a critical decision for the country’s future.”

However, not all have welcomed the move. Critics have raised alarms over nuclear safety, citing Kazakhstan’s painful nuclear legacy. The Semipalatinsk test site in the country’s northeast — used by the Soviet Union for over 450 nuclear tests — was shuttered in 1991 but continues to evoke public concern.

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