Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev have discussed progress on the project to build a nuclear power plant featuring both large and small reactors, according to the Presidential press service. “The practical aspects of the project to construct an integrated nuclear power plant in our country were reviewed, along with prospects for expanding cooperation in the peaceful use of atomic energy,” the report said.
The start of foundation works for the first small power reactor building in October last year “was noted with satisfaction”. Design work on the plant is currently underway. The report also noted that, in December 2025, an advanced engineering school for nuclear energy and nuclear technologies was launched at the Tashkent branch of Russia’s National Research Nuclear University MEPhI.
Particular attention was also devoted to developing cooperation in the application of nuclear technologies in agriculture and medicine, training qualified industry personnel, advancing science, and implementing social projects.
In October 2025, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev and Azim Akhmedkhadzhaev, head of Uzbekistan’s state atomic energy agency Uzatom, launched the initial stage of work on the construction of a low-power NPP (ASMM – Atomnoi Stantsii Maloi Moshnosti). The first stage includes the development of a pit for an ASMM with a RITM-200N reactor, being built in the Farish district of the Jizzakh region.
In May 2024, during the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Uzbekistan, a protocol was signed amending the 2018 intergovernmental agreement on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. This expanded cooperation, which now provides for the construction of NPPs of both large and small capacities according to Russian projects.
In May 2025, Rosatom began manufacturing reactor equipment: an ingot of special alloy steel weighing 205 tonnes was cast, from which the hull of the future RITM-200N reactor will be created. In September, at World Atomic Week in Moscow, additional documents were signed further expanding cooperation between Rosatom and Uzatom. According to these documents, the project will include two high-power power units based on VVER-1000 generation 3+ reactors and two power units with RITM-200N reactors with a capacity of 55 MW each. The parties also signed contracts for the supply of fuel for low- and high-power NPPs. The project will be the first in the world to build high- and low-power nuclear power plant units on a single site.
First concrete for the first ASMM had been expected to be poured in March. However, a draft government document published earlier in January said this had been deferred until December. This was later refuted by Uzatom. The document, published on regulation.gov.uz – the project discussion portal for regulatory legal acts – indicated that pouring the first concrete would be delayed by about nine months. Previously, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev had instructed officials to accelerate the project and begin construction in March 2026. No reasons for the revised timeline were given.
The document said Uzbekistan intends in 2026 to draft, sign, and register an additional agreement to its contract with Rosatom. The agreement will reflect a reconfiguration of the integrated nuclear power plant project, combining a large-capacity VVER-1000 reactor with a small-capacity RITM-200N reactor. Negotiations with Rosatom are planned as part of this process.
In parallel, construction works related to the first stage of the construction and installation base are scheduled to begin at the Jizzakh site and a phased commissioning of related facilities is planned to be completed by the end of 2026.
According to the document, Uzatom, the Nuclear Power Plant Construction Directorate, the Cabinet of Ministers’ Committee on Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety, and the Scientific and Technical Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety are tasked with preparing a draft safety justification report for the plant’s site and securing a positive expert assessment.
It said transition to the main construction stage of the low power NPP, marked by the pouring of first concrete, is now scheduled for December 2026. To this end, Uzatom, the Jizzakh regional administration, and the industrial and nuclear safety committee must finalise design documentation, gradually prepare engineering networks and access roads for the construction site, and obtain a licence for nuclear power plant construction.
In addition, the government plans to conclude a contract for the supply of nuclear fuel by the end of this year. Uzatom, the plant’s construction directorate, the Ministry of Geology, and Navoiuran are expected to study the possibility of using customer-provided raw materials in fuel production, coordinate the fuel supply agreement, and sign the contract.
Uzatom press service subsequently denied any delay. “In connection with the publication of the draft document on the website regulator.uz, information appeared in some media about the postponement of the first concrete work to December 2026. We would like to make a special point: the previously announced guidelines remain in force and there is no talk of any postponement of the deadlines,” the statement said.
Uzatom said the date specified in the draft reflects a conservative scenario, which provides for the completion of all numerous mandatory stages of preparation and licensing by this date. It emphasised that Uzatom consistently and carefully goes through all the prescribed procedures, strictly observing the requirements of national legislation and international standards of nuclear and radiation safety.
“The first concrete works are a landmark event in the implementation of the project, which will be widely covered. At the same time, we are fully aware of the full extent of responsibility and will begin this stage only after receiving a full set of necessary permits and approvals from authorized bodies,” the message said. Uzatom agency gave assurances that it remains fully committed to completing the project within the optimal time frame and continues intensive work in all areas.
Rosatom also discounted any delay. Following the talks with President Mirziyoyev, Likhachev said: “We are moving forward at a rapid pace and fully on schedule. Work on site is proceeding actively … this year’s main goal is to begin pouring concrete for the foundation slab of the nuclear island buildings. Given the importance of meeting deadlines, we aim to begin concrete preparation work this spring.”
In an interview with Rossiya-24 television channel, he said: “I think we will pour the first concrete … much earlier than December. Our speed will depend on the customer … this is a regulated event implying receipt of certain licences, permits, qualifications, including for local manufacturers. Nevertheless, our plans are to make it much earlier than December.”
