“It’s Time to Think Once Again Whether Kazakhstan Needs Nuclear Power Plant,” President Tokayev Says

According to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, it’s the right time to see the issue of nuclear power plant construction in Kazakhstan up close. 

While speaking with Eastern Economic Forum participants via video call, Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan needs a nuclear station.

However, before a final decision will have been made, all facets of the issue should be reviewed, and all the interests of citizens and businesses must be taken into account, he added.

The Eastern Economic Forum, which was held on September 2-4 in the Russian city of Vladivostok, is aimed to discuss relations between Russia, its neighbors of Asia Pacific, including ASEAN state members, and other countries of the world. All these discussions are organized in the form of round tables, panel sessions, televised debates, business breakfasts, and so on.

The initial announcement of the nuclear plant idea was made on September 1 when President Tokayev addressed the nation. He said that due to the upcoming shortage of electricity by 2030, Kazakhstan has to be prepared to increase the volume of energy it generates by favoring high effective and clean sources of energy instead of coal or even renewable sources. 

In 2019 while negotiating with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered him to build a nuclear power plant based on Russian technologies. In response, Kazakhstani officials denied any plans of nuclear energy site construction, noting that they need to gauge the public opinion on the topic first.

At the beginning of this year, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy has confirmed that there is no final decision about the nuclear station but several technical variants are considered, including technologies from the U.S., South Korea, France, and Russia.