Tokayev urges cabinet to speed up NPP construction

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has instructed the cabinet to accelerate nuclear power plant (NPP) construction. According to him, two or three NPPs may be established to develop nuclear power engineering in Kazakhstan. 

«Today, we are focusing on major infrastructural projects, digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI) and nuclear power engineering. These are key strategic aspects for our country’s development. The cabinet must keep these important issues in mind during its work,» the president said in a statement.

He also commented on the development prospects of the nuclear industry in Kazakhstan.

«As for the NPPs, we must speed up our efforts. As I have said in the interview, we plan to construct two large plants, possibly three. We must transform Kazakhstan into a country with a developed nuclear industry, alongside fully functional AI and digitalization,» Tokayev summed up.

On Oct. 6, 2024, Kazakhstanis were invited to share their opinions on the NPP construction in the Almaty region through a nationwide referendum. At the time, Tokayev said that if people supported the project, it would be implemented by an international consortium.

At the referendum, 71.12% of voters supported the NPP project. The Ministry of National Economy announced that the government would not allocate a single penny for the construction. Instead, authorities plan to rely on a project financing scheme. This implies that funding would be provided by a consortium of international financial institutions, with the loan repaid not from the state budget but through revenues generated by the NPP.

Kazakhstan is considering four companies as potential suppliers of nuclear technology: CNNC (China), Rosatom (Russia), KHNP (South Korea) and EDF (France).