Kazakhstan may build its first nuclear power plant at a distance of 700 km from Tashkent

The first nuclear power plant (NPP) in Kazakhstan will be built in Ulken village of Jambil district, Almaty region.

The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan reminds that, according to the legislation of the country, the decision on the construction site of nuclear facilities is taken by the government of the country with the consent of the local representative bodies. The decision to build an NPP in the village of Ulken was approved by the Advisory Council of the Almaty Region in November 2022 with one condition: the residents of the area must support the project.

The Ministry of Energy has not yet made a final decision about the company that will build the NPP in Kazakhstan. Four companies were included in the list of applicants:

- China’s CNNC company with HPR-1000 reactor;
- South Korean company KHNP with APR-1400 reactor;
- Russian company Rosatom with VVER-1200 and VVER-1000 reactors;
- French company EDF with EPR-1200 reactor.

The village of Ulken is located near Lake Balkhash, Kazakhstan, and is approximately 700 km from Tashkent.