China to build second NPP in Kazakhstan (Part 2)China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) will construct Kazakhstan's second nuclear power plant, Atomic Energy Agency Chairman Almaskadam Satkaliyev announced in a statement released by the agency."We are preparing a separate general agreement with China on nuclear energy cooperation," Satkaliyev said. "We aim to use Chinese technology for a second nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan."The chairman noted few countries possess complete nuclear fuel cycle capabilities. "China is among the select nations with all necessary technologies and industrial capacity. Cooperation with China remains our next key objective," he emphasized.Satkaliyev confirmed upcoming negotiations with Chinese partners. "We have reached substantial agreements with our Chinese partners," Satkaliyev stated. "We highly value China's expertise in nuclear construction - both their remarkable speed and quality standards. Work has already begun to establish effective consortium partnerships," he added.The announcement comes after Kazakhstan's Atomic Energy Agency named Russia's Rosatom as the lead consortium partner for the country's first nuclear plant on Saturday. Rosatom secured the position ahead of CNNC, which ranked second in the vendor selection process, as well as France's Électricité de France and South Korea's Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, which tied for third.Kazakhstan has established an intergovernmental commission to oversee nuclear plant construction, with plans to form an international consortium for the projects. Agreements and contracts for the first plant are expected to be finalized by November 2025.Approved in a 2024 national referendum, the first nuclear plant will be built in the Zhambyl district of Almaty Region. The government is considering the city of Kurchatov in the Abai region as the potential site for the second facility.While initial plans targeted a 2035 completion for the first plant, Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry has since requested vendors to accelerate construction, aiming to operationalize the first reactor within eight years. The projects are estimated to cost $10-12 billion, with each reactor unit averaging $5 billion. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX