Uzbekistan’s atomic energy agency has concluded a deal with Rosatom’s export division to begin work on a power station containing six small modular reactors.
The project, one of the first of its kind in the world, will be built in the Jizzakh region, near the border with Tajikistan in the east of the country. A workers’ camp was built last month and site preparation will now begin.
Under the agreement between the UzAtom Agency and Atomstroyexport, the plant will use Russia’s generation-three-plus RITM-200N reactors, which have a power rating of 55MW.
Otabek Amanov, UzAtom’s project director for the plant, commented in a press statement: “Today’s signing marks the transition to active work on the implementation of the first low-power nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan and will allow us to begin direct work at the construction site soon.”
Uzbekistan is developing its nuclear sector in preparation for the depletion of its natural gas reserves, and to meet an expected doubling in demand for electricity over the next 25 years.
Neighbouring Kazakhstan will hold a referendum on 6 October on whether to build its first nuclear plant.
Pavel Bezrukov, Atomstroyexport’s director of construction in Central Asia, said the agreement signified that regulatory and financial issues had been agreed by the parties. However, he added that Rosatom was still working on “developing the documentation” for a licence, and survey work was continuing.
The RITM reactor design was developed for use on icebreakers, and eight have already been installed on four ships.
Russia is itself planning to build an SMR-based facility by 2028. This is planned for the Ust-Yansk Region of Yakutia in the Russian Federation’s extreme northeast.
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