The head of Kazakhstan’s Atomic Energy Agency, Almassadam Satkaliyev, has announced plans to build a second NPP in the southeastern Almaty region of Kazakhstan, where the construction of its first NPP began earlier this year.
“A meeting of the State Commission for the Development of the Nuclear Industry was held, which identified a second promising site for the construction of a NPP in Kazakhstan,” Satkaliyev said. “All authorised government agencies have been involved. The opinion of the national grid operator is certainly being taken into account, as well as the opinion of the Ministry of Energy, and, as I already mentioned, the projected balance sheet.”
He added that the next site for NPP construction had been identified as the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region. “That is, our second station will also be in the south of the country, because the south is experiencing shortages, as you know. Currently, electricity is being transmitted via the North-South transit line. This will ensure reliability and stability of the energy supply,” Satkaliyev said following the State Commission meeting in the lower house of parliament.
He confirmed that the Atomic Energy Agency is in negotiations with all participants in the process, including all bidders. “That is, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has not made a final decision on selecting the People’s Republic of China, but we have, as always, stated that we view CNNC as the priority contractor for the construction of the nuclear power plant, based on the proposals they made during their participation in the construction of the NPP. All issues related to the contractor’s performance, technical solutions, and the attitude of Kazakhstani citizens toward a particular vendor will be fully taken into account when making decisions.”
He also commented on the possibility of building another nuclear power plant in Kurchatov in the north-east Abai Region. Kurchatov, was once the centre of operations for the adjoining Semipalatinsk former Soviet Test Site. With the cessation of nuclear testing and the decommissioning of the test site, Kurchatov’s population fell dramatically. The nuclear facilities at Kurchatov are managed by the Kazakhstan Institute of Atomic Energy, a division of the National Nuclear Centre.
“The construction of a nuclear power facility will be considered – either as an addition to the current facilities or as a base station,” said Satkaliyev. “It could, as I’ve already mentioned, be a small- or medium-capacity station to meet the needs of the Science City, for scientific purposes, including providing electricity to the region.” He added: “This is the basic approach” currently outlined in the plans. And we plan to implement it in precisely this sequence.”
Rosatom said in August that Moscow and Astana had begun work on Kazakhstan’s first NPP, with engineering surveys underway in the village of Ulken in the Almaty region.
