Construction of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant to begin in 2027 - TokayevConstruction of Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant will begin next year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Tuesday.Speaking at a joint session of parliament's two chambers, Tokayev noted that Kazakhstan is a global leader in uranium production and has a well-developed nuclear infrastructure."So the choice in favor of nuclear generation is absolutely the right one. This is the people's decision, made during a historic referendum in 2024, and it is essentially a civilizational choice. It guarantees the country's energy sovereignty and provides a solid foundation for the energy-intensive digital economy of the future," the president said, adding that construction of the first nuclear plant would get underway next year.Russia and Kazakhstan had previously reached agreement on the terms of cooperation for the project, including the provision of a Russian export credit to finance it.The two sides exchanged intergovernmental agreements on the basic principles and terms of cooperation for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, as well as on the provision of a state export credit to finance its construction.Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, earlier explained that the Russian loan would cover a large portion of the capital investment. "But not all of it — part of the cost will be covered by the Kazakh side," he said.Likhachev said Rosatom expects to move into the active construction phase of the plant in Kazakhstan in 2027. The pace of work, he noted, would depend on the customer, while the project's main parameters would be set by Kazakhstan's government.According to Likhachev, Rosatom would do everything to ensure the plant begins operating by the mid-2030s. The facility would be brought online in stages, with an interval of 8 to 10 months between the first and second power units.In 2025, Rosatom signed a roadmap with Kazakhstan for the construction of two VVER-1200 nuclear power units. The Russian state corporation was also named the lead contractor in the consortium for the project. In August 2025, research work began at a site near the village of Ulken. The future plant has been named Balkhash. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX