The Atomic Energy Agency of Kazakhstan, with the participation of international experts, has selected Rosatom as general contractor for the construction of Kazakhstan‘s first NPP. The plant will be built near the village of Ulken on Lake Balkhash, where a nuclear power plant was planned during the Soviet era. The decision to build the plant was made following a national referendum held in October 2024. The construction of the station was supported by 71.12% of those who voted. The turnout was 63.66%.
In April, Kazakhstan finalised the tender process and shortlisted technology suppliers for construction of its first NPP. According to the Atomic Energy Agency (AEA), the shortlist included Rosatom offering a VVER-1200 reactor; Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) offering its APR1400 and APR1000 reactors; France’s EDF offering its EPR1200, and the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) offering its HPR1000 (Hualong One).
“The most optimal and profitable proposals for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan were received from the Russian company Rosatom. These were followed by proposals from the Chinese company China National Nuclear Corporation. The proposals from the French company Électricité de France and the Korean company Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power were ranked third,” said an official statement from the Kazakh Atomic Energy Agency (KAEA). Kazakh authorities said that the three companies would be included in the consortium led by Rosatom but did not provide any details.
Kazakh media cited “observers” as saying the idea of the consortium is a way for authorities to maintain good relations with all the countries involved but that it is most likely that Rosatom will end up building the plant by itself.
The companies shortlisted in the tender had submitted a comprehensive package of materials on technical and commercial proposals for the construction of the plant, which included data on the estimated cost of construction, the project’s implementation timeline, financing models, approaches to localising equipment and construction work, proposals for training and developing scientific and educational potential, opportunities for cooperation in the nuclear fuel cycle, and social commitments.
The applicants’ applications were evaluated based on a methodology developed with the participation of the French engineering company Assystem. The decision on the winner was made by the Interdepartmental Commission for the Development of the Nuclear Industry. “We welcome Kazakhstan’s decision to begin the construction of a nuclear power plant, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said in a Telegram post. “The result will be the construction of a nuclear plant based on the most advanced and efficient project in the world, based on Russian technologies. The VVER-1200 generation 3+ reactors combine time-tested engineering solutions with the latest active and passive protection systems, which are designed in strict accordance with international safety standards.” He added that VVER-1200 reactors are already operating in Russia and abroad – four units in Russia and two units in Belarus, and Russian partners in Hungary, Egypt, Turkey, Bangladesh, and China have also chosen this technology.
The two-unit project is estimated to cost $15bn. According to the Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency, the issue of attracting state-funded export financing from Russia has been initiated. The KAEA will continue working with foreign partners to form an effective international consortium for construction of the plant.
KAEA Chairman Almasadam Satkaliyev said it would take Kazakhstan 2-3 years to design the first NPP, and the construction would take 8-10 years. After construction is completed, Kazakhstan will become the owner of the plant. “The Republic of Kazakhstan will be the owner, operator, and producer of uranium raw materials, as well as the owner of all technological processes at the future nuclear power plant,” according to the KAEA press service.
Satkaliyev noted that one of the key conditions for the competitive selection was to ensure the independent and efficient operation of the plant using Kazakhstani specialists. This includes the creation of a training system, an industrial and technical base, and the maximum localisation of all construction stages.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has sought to keep good relations with Russia and China, both of which border the country. The announcement naming Rosatom as winner of the tender came a few days before Chinese leader Xi Jinping was due to visit Kazakhstan for a “China-Central Asia” summit.
However, Satkaliyev also announced that work was already underway to prepare for construction of a second NPP with China’s assistance. “Objectively, China and Russia had the strongest proposals,” he said. “We are planning to sign a separate general agreement with the People’s Republic of China on cooperation in the nuclear industry. We want to see Chinese technologies in Kazakhstan for the construction of another plant. Objectively, there are not many countries in the world that can handle the entire nuclear cycle on their own. China is one of the countries that has all the necessary technologies and an industrial base, and our next priority is to cooperate with China.”
In an interview with zakon.kz the previous week Yernat Berdigulov, CEO of Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants (KNPP), a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s Samruk-Kazyna sovereign welfare fund, spoke about the procedure for selecting a technology supplier for the first NPP. He singled out four stages.
The first stage, which began in 2019, was to compile a shortlist of potential technologies with the request for technical and commercial offers to nine international companies. In 2022, it was decided to update the shortlist. Based on the developed criteria for evaluating reactor technologies approved by Assystem, a core list of the four vendors was decided.
In the second stage involved competitive negotiations with the shortlisted companies. A detailed questionnaire was sent to all vendors at the end of 2024. Visits were also made to the production facilities of vendors and their partners.
Third stage was a comprehensive assessment. An integrated system for evaluating reactor technologies and offers of potential vendors was developed. The assessment system is based on International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommendations and the experience of existing international projects. Based on this, an analysis of the four proposals was carried out using criteria developed jointly with international experts, in particular Assystem.
Fourth stage involved development and adoption of recommendations at the relevant sites by the Interdepartmental Commission for the Development of the Atomic Industry and the Presidential Energy Council headed by the Kazakhstan Prime Minister.
Asked about requirements for participants in terms of safety, technology and experience, he replied: “Security is the top priority…. Only four companies entered the short list. All of them offer licensed reference technologies with generation III + modern reactors, which provide the highest level of security and reliability.”
He said the main parameters for safety and technology required from any potential vendor were:
- the availability of its own licensed technology for a pressurised light water reactor;
- a combination of active and passive safety systems, which makes stations as resistant as possible to external and internal influences;
- referenceability of the technology including operating experience and the presence of built and existing units within the owner country and abroad; and
- willingness to implement the project in accordance with strict international standards, including IAEA standards.
Another criterion was international experience. “It must be understood that it is more difficult to implement projects abroad than in your own country. This requires development, and adaptation of the local regulatory and regulatory environment, the use of local infrastructure and resources. Moreover, taking into account the tasks of implementing the project in the form of an international consortium, the experience of design and construction using equipment from other foreign suppliers is important.”
Berdigulov was asked what role environmental and social factors played in choosing a vendor. “From an environmental point of view, it is important that the technology offered by the vendor is as safe as possible and meets both national and international standards,” he said. “The public and stakeholders want to understand that the station will not harm the environment: there will be no leaks, emissions, and its operation will not adversely affect the ecosystem and health of the local population.”
As to social factors, he said: It is important to understand that an NPP project is not just ‘bring and build’, but a long-term contribution to the development of the region and the whole country: job creation at the construction stage, and during operation; training of qualified personnel; development of scientific potential; investment in infrastructure; and development of domestic industry.”
He also noted: “The choice of a technological partner is not only a construction issue, but also the basis for long-term development of the nuclear cluster of Kazakhstan, with the training of its own specialists, localisation of production, export potential and the growth of scientific competencies. When implementing the project, the research potential of the flagships of the nuclear industry of Kazakhstan – of the National Nuclear Centre and the Institute of Nuclear Physics – will be maximally involved.”
