The head of Kazakhstan’s atomic energy body on Wednesday announced plans to build a second nuclear power plant in the southeastern Almaty region, where the construction of its first nuclear power plant began earlier this year.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the state commission on atomic industry in the lower house of parliament, Almassadam Satkaliyev said talks in the Majilis identified a second prospective site for the construction of a nuclear power plant.
“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 was quoted as saying by Kazinform news agency.
He said the region is currently being provided with electricity through the International North-South Transport Corridor, a 7,200-kilometer (4,500-mile) multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road routes between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
“The new station will ensure reliable and stable energy supply,” he went on to say, noting that negotiations with all potential suppliers and bidders for the project are currently underway.
“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,” Satkaliyev added.
Russia’s state atomiс energy corporation Rosatom said in August that Moscow and Astana began work on building Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, with engineering surveys having started in the village of Ulken in the Almaty region.
A national referendum in October 2024 agreed on the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant, with around 71% voting in favor.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who first proposed the referendum in 2023, defined the referendum as a critical decision for the country’s future, though critics have voiced concern over the plant's construction stemming partly from the legacy of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in the northeast.
The site was used for over 450 tests in the Soviet era before it was closed in 1991.
By Burc Eruygur
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr