Uzbekistan chose Rosatom for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in the country solely for economic reasons, director general of Uzatom agency Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov said.

“The choice of a partner was not a spontaneous decision or in favor of politics. The choice was made on the basis of the economic interests of the republic,” Mirzamakhmudov said, answering the question about the absence of a tender for general contractor for the NPP construction.

The head of Uzatom reported that the Uzbek side independently studied the experience of building nuclear power plants in Russia, the United States, China, France and South Korea and opted for Rosatom for a number of factors – the timing of the preparation of necessary documents and personnel for the station, choosing the most advanced technology.

“We consulted with IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) experts who confirmed the safety of Rosatom technologies and their modernity,” Mirzamakhmudov noted.

According to him, Uzatom has already reached the first agreement with Rosatom and signed up for engineering surveys.

In mid-May, the Energy Ministry of Uzbekistan inked with Rosatom a “roadmap” for the implementation of the second stage of NPP construction, which includes the stages of preparation and coordination of contracts.

In February, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved the concept of developing nuclear energy in the country for 2019-2029. Its main goal is the construction by 2030 and start of safe operation of NPP with a total capacity of 2.4 GW. Construction of the station is scheduled to begin in 2022 with involvement of a loan from the Russian government.