The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan held public discussions with the population of Astana regarding the plans for construction of a nuclear power plant in the republic. The meeting in the capital was the final one after the public discussions by region, the press service of the ministry announced.
"Public discussions have ended in Astana, closing the cycle of public discussions on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan. Previously, such events have already been held in all regions of the country”, the message says.
Deputy Director of the Department of Nuclear Energy and Industry of the Ministry of Energy Gulmira Mursalova noted that in Kazakhstan, 70% of electricity is produced in coal-fired plants, many of which are already worn out. At the same time, the annual growth of electricity consumption in the country is about 3%. During peak hours, Kazakhstan regularly buys electricity from bordering countries. "At the end of 2023, of the 115 billion kW·h consumed, more than 2 billion kW·h were purchased according to the plan in the Russian Federation. To avoid this in the future, we must take appropriate measures now. "Many countries are currently building nuclear power plants," she said.
The general director of the company "Kazakhstan Atomic Power Plants" Timur Zhantikin noted that 13 different nuclear power plant projects were previously proposed, of which four were selected. According to him, the construction of a nuclear power plant will have a significant multiplier effect on the development of the country's economy and related industries, as well as contribute to the creation of new jobs.
As explained by the ministry, for the construction of nuclear power plants in Kazakhstan, the safest generation III and III+ reactors are offered, which have passive and active safety systems that successfully complement and replace each other.
Earlier, the Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Almasadam Satkaliev said that after the completion of public discussions on the construction of a nuclear power plant, the dates for the start of a referendum on this issue may be announced.
Kazakhstan President Kasim-Jomart Tokayev, in his message to the people on September 1, 2023, proposed to put the question of the construction of a nuclear power plant to a national referendum. Earlier, the Ministry of Energy announced that based on the results of the research, the territory of the village of Ulken, Zhambil district, Alma-Ata region, was selected as the most preferred area for the construction of the station. The authorities are now considering several potential suppliers of nuclear technology - China's CNNC, South Korea's KHNP, Rosatom and France's EDF. The cost of construction could be 10-12 billion dollars.
In June 2024, the President of Kazakhstan announced that a national referendum on the future construction of nuclear power plants would be held in the fall of 2024.