Kazakh Atomic Energy Agency responds to proposal to name NPP after large company

Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy has responded to a proposal by marketing specialist Alimzhan Bissembayev to lease the name of the nuclear power plant (NPP) currently under construction to a large company similar to how the government sells «nice» license plates for cars. The initiative was perceived as «creative from a marketing perspective,» though unsuitable.

«The nuclear power plant is a facility of strategic importance for Kazakhstan. Its name should reflect historical, cultural and national values and symbolize trust and unity among citizens,» the agency emphasized.

Authorities also noted that, unlike commercial projects, nuclear energy cannot be treated as a brand to be sold or temporarily renamed.

«This is exactly why the competition to choose the name is nationwide — so that it can become a shared symbol for all the citizens of Kazakhstan,» the agency stated.

Earlier this week, Bissembayev suggested naming the NPP after a large company under a leasing arrangement for a fixed term, with the generated income to be used to partly repay the loan for its construction.

The marketing specialist compared the idea to the sale of «nice» car license plates — a practice that has long boosted Kazakhstan’s state budget. In his view, the NPP could operate on the same principle.

Earlier this month, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed holding a nationwide competition to choose a name for the country’s first NPP. The agency noted that work is already underway to organize the contest.

The cost of the plant itself is estimated between $14 billion and $15 billion. Construction will be carried out by Russia’s Rosatom as part of a consortium, after which the facility will be transferred to Kazakhstan.