Station builder: Russia is ready to start construction of nuclear power plant in Kyrgyzstan

Russia is ready to start building a low-power nuclear power plant in Kyrgyzstan, but Bishkek must first determine the specific parameters of the project, Alexey Likhachev, head of the Rosatom state Corporation, told Izvestia. Moscow may build a small block nuclear power plant with a capacity from 110 to 440 MW. Rosatom is already implementing similar projects in other countries, including Uzbekistan. But so far there is not a single nuclear power plant in Central Asia. Why in recent years their construction has become an important issue for the region and what are the interests of the Russian Federation — in the material of Izvestia.

Russia may build a low-power nuclear power plant

Russia is ready to start construction of a low-power nuclear power plant in Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, the republic must first determine the specific parameters of the project, Alexey Likhachev, head of Rosatom, told Izvestia.

— A topic that was on the agenda a few years ago was the construction of a small nuclear power plant in Kyrgyzstan. We have offered our colleagues our traditional product, for which contracts have been signed with Uzbekistan, and negotiations are underway with Myanmar, and we are building such a station in Yakutia. <...> Our partners will now determine the stages and the level of capacity that is needed, and as soon as they finally have a request for a specific configuration of this project, I hope we will start implementing it," he said.

Moscow is ready to build a block nuclear power plant with a capacity from 110 to 440 MW, Likhachev added. It is planned to implement a low-power nuclear power plant in Kyrgyzstan on the basis of the RITM-200N installation, the prototype of which was a reactor developed by the Russian Federation for a new generation of nuclear icebreakers.

Earlier, Talaibek Baigaziev, Deputy Minister of Energy of Kyrgyzstan, said that the republic was discussing with Rosatom the construction of one or three power units of the RITM-200N small nuclear power plant with a capacity of up to 330 MW. The parties signed a corresponding memorandum on construction at the world exhibition Expo-2022 in the UAE.

The Russian side studied the land plots of Kyrgyzstan, on which the facility could potentially be built. But there were difficulties here: almost the entire territory of the republic is in a zone of increased seismic danger. Therefore, the possible construction of a nuclear power plant may take about six to seven years, the authorities of the republic warned earlier.

Kyrgyzstan is interested in building a nuclear power plant due to a sharp increase in energy shortages. The reason for this is a decrease in energy production at local hydroelectric power plants due to low water levels, worn-out equipment and increased demand for electricity. Therefore, in 2023, the republic's leadership introduced a state of emergency in the energy sector until 2026.

At the same time, Russia and Kyrgyzstan are actively cooperating in other areas in this area.

— We are working very well with Kyrgyzstan, the government, and the Ministry of Ecology to neutralize tailings dumps and eliminate the legacy of uranium mining enterprises. And in this sense, a number of regions of Kyrgyzstan have already been removed from the risk of any consequences, possible environmental accidents," Alexey Likhachev added.

Why is Central Asia showing interest in nuclear energy

Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia as a whole are interested in the construction of nuclear power plants. At the same time, there is currently not a single nuclear power plant in the countries of the region.

— There is a whole range of issues that the region needs nuclear power plants for. The first is a real shortage of electricity. Since the time of the Soviet Union, a single ring has been formed in the region, which implies the distribution of electricity. After the collapse of the USSR, this situation changed. The countries, despite the fact that they had a fairly developed infrastructure by the standards of those years, did not modernize it much during the period of independence," Daria Saprynskaya, a researcher at the ISAA of Lomonosov Moscow State University, told Izvestia.

The countries of the region are suffering from outdated infrastructure that they are unable to upgrade on their own. The energy imbalance can seriously disrupt social stability in the States of the region.

In the fall of 2024, Uzbekistan began construction of a nuclear power plant jointly with Rosatom. It will be located on the border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, near Lake Tuzkan in the Jizzakh region.

Uzbek leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev called the nuclear power plant project vital for the country. He stressed that the republic has large reserves of uranium. The need for the construction of the facility in Uzbekistan was explained by the increase in electricity consumption and the transition to environmentally friendly energy.

Director of the Atomic Energy Agency of Uzbekistan Azim Akhmedkhadzhayev earlier stressed: today, Russia is the only country with proven small—scale nuclear energy technology. "These reactors have been used in the nuclear fleet for more than 60 years. They are now adapted for ground use," he said.

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In addition to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, Rosatom has previously offered the construction of nuclear power plants on favorable terms to Kazakhstan. The shortage of electricity remains an acute issue for this republic. For example, according to the estimates of the local Ministry of Energy, it will be observed in the country at least until 2029.

On October 6, 2024, a referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant was held in Kazakhstan. According to the results of the plebiscite, 71.12% of those who voted supported the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country. The nuclear power plant will be built in the village of Ulken, Zhambyl district, Alma Ata region.

The Kazakh authorities studied the proposals of several possible suppliers of nuclear technologies. These are the South Korean KHNP, the Chinese company CNNC, the French EDF and Rosatom. In April, Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu said that Astana expects that the Russian Federation and the republic will move forward in the construction of the country's first nuclear power plant.

Moscow is also discussing the construction of a nuclear power plant with Tajikistan: Alexey Likhachev previously said that Dushanbe was studying a proposal from the Russian Federation related to the construction of a low-power nuclear power plant in the republic. At the same time, electricity in Tajikistan is produced by hydroelectric power plants and partly by thermal power plants. In fact, nuclear energy is not developed in the country.

Not only the countries of Central Asia, but also the Russian side are interested in the construction of nuclear power plants.

— Their construction is one of our business cards, the Rosatom state Corporation is one of the most profitable. She has a very specific product," Daria Saprynskaya tells Izvestia.

In addition, for Russia, all issues related to the countries of Central Asia are important from the point of view of the same security: any destabilization in the region can affect the situation in our border area.