France wants a slice of Kazakhstan’s nuclear pie
Vakisasai Ramany, senior vice president of Électricité de France (EDF) met with top managers of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy (AAE) to discuss the possibility of French participation in the nuclear power plant (NPP) project in Kazakhstan.
«The two sides discussed the possibility for EDF to participate in the nuclear power plant construction project in Kazakhstan as part of an international consortium,» the AAE said in a statement.
The primary focus of the discussions was on the issues of scientific and technical cooperation, as well as possibilities for collaboration in the area of low- and medium-power reactors. As a result, the sides agreed to continue developing cooperation. The AAE noted that representatives of the Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants company — a subsidiary of Samruk-Kazyna — which will be responsible for all future NPPs in Kazakhstan, also took part in the meeting.
The village of Ulken, in the Zhambyl district of Kazakhstan’s Almaty region, has been chosen as the site for the first nuclear plant with a total capacity of 2.4 gigawatts. Located on the shores of Lake Balkhash, the site was selected due to the large water source needed to cool nuclear reactors.
On June 14, the AAE announced the selection of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom as the leading contractor for Kazakhstan’s first NPP. Previously, the company’s CEO Alexey Likhachev confirmed that VVER-1200 reactors are under consideration, praising Kazakhstan’s decision.
Furthermore, the AAE announced that Chinese CNNC will lead the consortium for the construction of the second NPP. In turn, the country’s First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar announced that he hadn’t ruled out the possibility that the Chinese company may complete the second plant faster than Russia.
The AAE later announced that the country’s first NPP is expected to be operational by 2035 to 2036. Previously, the Ministry of Energy had estimated a construction timeline of around 10 years.
Meanwhile, other potential sites under consideration for the second plant include the city of Kurchatov in the East Kazakhstan region and Aktau in the Mangystau region, where the BN-350 reactor operated from the 1970s through the 1990s, generating both electricity and desalinating water from the Caspian Sea.
Kazakhstan considered four potential technology providers for its NPP project: CNNC (HPR-1000 reactor), Rosatom (VVER-1200, VVER-1000 reactors), KHNP (South Korea, APR-1400 reactor) and EDF (France, EPR1200 reactor). This followed a nationwide referendum on the plant’s construction on Oct. 6, 2024. The proposal passed with 71.12% of voters in favor.
During talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Astana on June 16, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan has decided to build at least two or three NPPs. He also emphasized that the country views CNNC as a reliable strategic partner in its nuclear energy projects.
