
Rosatom and the Atomic Energy Development Agency under the Uzbekistan Cabinet of Ministers (Uzatom) have signed an agreement to study the possibilities of implementing a project for the construction of a large-scale NPP in Uzbekistan. The signing ceremony, on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), was attended by Rosatom Director Alexey Likhachev and Uzatom Director Azim Akhmedkhadjaev.
The announcement builds on the current project to build a small modular reactor plant in the Jizzah region, featuring six of Rosatom’s 55 MWe RITM-200N water-cooled reactors.
“The Rosatom State Corporation is pleased to be a strategic partner of Uzbekistan in the development of nuclear energy,” Likhachev said. “The combination of small and large-capacity nuclear power plants can form a powerful ‘carbon-free energy cluster’ in Uzbekistan and become a response to the country’s growing needs for electricity, as well as the basis for the development of industry and innovative industries in the country.”
Azim Akhmedkhadjaev, Director of the Atomic Energy Agency, said: “We consider the construction of a high-capacity NPP as a source for creating a reliable and balanced energy system capable of covering both the current and future needs of the country for electricity – environmentally friendly energy. The signing of the agreement allows us to begin active development of the key conditions for the possibility of implementing the project for the construction of a high-capacity nuclear power plant. A joint Working Group has been created that will study the main aspects of the project and assess the cost of construction.”
The document provides for the construction of two VVER-1000 power units with the possibility of expansion to four power units. The project is based on Russian technologies that have already proven their effectiveness and safety in Russia and at foreign facilities in China (Tianwan NPP) and India (Kudankulam NPP). In total, VVER-1000 reactors have operated for more than 420 reactor years to date.