Rosatom became the leader of the consortium for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan

Rosatom will head the international consortium for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan. The issue of attracting state export financing at the expense of the Russian Federation is being worked out, capital costs are estimated at $ 10-12 billion. The choice of Rosatom, analysts believe, is due to the technological maturity of the project and infrastructure compatibility, but the solution to the problem of energy deficiency in Kazakhstan also requires effective integration of nuclear power plants in the energy system.

« Rosatom » Selected by the leader of the International Consortium for the Construction of the First NPP in Kazakhstan, the Agency of the Republic of Atomic Energy said. The second place in the “short list” of potential technologies suppliers took Chinese CNNCthe third place is divided French EDF and South Korean KHNP. The owner, operator and manufacturer of uranium raw materials for the nuclear power plant will become Kazakhstan, said the chairman of the agency for atomic energy to the Almasadam Satkaliev. The issue of attracting state export financing at the expense of the Russian Federation is being worked out.

The head of Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, said that the project involves the construction of a nuclear power plant based on the VVER-1200 generation reactor 3+. Reactors of this type, he said, are already working in Russia and beyond – four blocs in Russia and two blocks in Belarus, this technology was also chosen by partners in Hungary, Egypt, Turkey, Bangladesh and China.

The decision on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan was made following a referendum in October 2024, a project Supported 71.12% voted.

It is assumed that the nuclear power plant will be located near Lake Balkhash in Alma-Ata region.

Initially, it was planned to build a nuclear power plant by 2035, but the Ministry of Energy of the Republic was interested in launching the first block in a shorter time – within eight years. The cost of construction is estimated at $ 10-12 billion.

In March, the President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Zhomart Tokaev proposed creating a nuclear cluster by building three nuclear power plants. According to the Kazakhstani publication « Power » to the Almasadam Satkaliev, the Chinese CNNS can head the consortium for the construction of the second nuclear power plant, it is planned to sign a separate agreement with the PRC on cooperation in the atomic industry. The final decision will be made later.

Kazakhstan is already faced with a shortage of electricity, which by the end of 2025 will be 5.7 billion kWh, follows from the forecast balance of electricity and capacity in the republic. The production of electricity in 2024, according to KEGOC (the dispatcher of the Kazakhstan energy system), amounted to 117.9 billion kWh, consumption compared with 2023 increased by 4.3% to 119.9 billion kWh.

The difference between production and electricity consumption is partially covered by imports from Russia. In the first quarter, the indicator amounted to 0.7 billion kWh, according to Inter RAO (operator export-import of electricity in the Russian Federation).

Igor Chausov from Enerdzhinet notes that atomic capacities are a high -tech and competitive solution to the problem of energy deficit for a long perspective. But, he indicates that the nuclear power plant is effectively integrated into the energy system of Kazakhstan, it is necessary to develop both electric networks and energy flexibility management, including creating its new sources: energy drives, active consumers, demand management and other practices aimed at developing intelligent distributed energy systems.

Sergei Rozhenko from Kept expects that the project will be implemented according to the scheme of interstate cooperation with a partial involvement of Russian financing. The options, according to him, include a loan from the Government of the Russian Federation, delivery with a deferred payment (export loan « under the station ») or the creation of a joint venture with the participation of state structures of Kazakhstan, as was the case with the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The analyst also believes that, judging by the announced configurations (probably two VVER-1200 power units), the CAPEX project will be $ 10-12 billion, a similar project in Uzbekistan is estimated at about $ 11 billion.

“Although the CNNC offer of $ 5.6 billion for two power units looked economically attractive, the price comparison only makes sense when analyzing a full package of conditions,” adds Mr. Rozhenko. The choice of Rosatom, according to him, looks more balanced, since the VVER-1200 is a serial project with six existing blocks and most complies with the standards and technical culture of Kazakhstan, inherited from the Soviet nuclear school. This reduces the need for adaptation of the regulatory base, certification of equipment and retraining of personnel.

Anna Tybin