Uzbekistan is exploring the possibility of building two Russian-designed NPPs, one of large capacity and one of smaller capacity, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said during a reception at the Uzbekistan Embassy in Moscow marking the Uzbekistan’s Independence Day. “The issue of constructing two Russian-designed nuclear power plants in Uzbekistan, one large and one small, is currently under consideration. This would be the first project of its kind in Central Asia,” Ryabkov said.
He noted that successful implementation of the initiative would allow Uzbekistan to “achieve a new technological breakthrough” and represent an important step in the development of bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.
Uzbekistan and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement on the NPP construction in 2018. The agreement covered the full cycle – from design and construction to operation and eventual decommissioning – for a plant with two power units equipped with Russian VVER reactors, each with a capacity of up to 1,200 MWe.
In May 2024 the initial arrangements were revised, and it was decided to begin with a small-scale nuclear project. Amendments to the agreement preserved the plan for the large plant while simultaneously introducing a small modular reactor plant in the Jizzah region, featuring six of Rosatom’s 55 MWe RITM-200N water-cooled reactors. Preparatory work is already under way for the first two units. Atomstroyexport (Rosatom’s engineering division) was designated general contractor, with local companies also participating in the work.
The topic of the large plant was raised again in March, during talks between Rosatom and Uzatom, which included it on the agenda for joint discussions. In June, the two sides signed an agreement defining the terms for implementing the large NPP project in Uzbekistan. According to the agreement, construction is planned for two VVER-1000 units, each with a capacity of 1,000 MWe, with the possibility of expanding to four units in the future.
A joint working group has been established to prepare the project, tasked with conducting a detailed analysis of key parameters, calculating construction costs, and formulating a final decision. Earlier, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed officials in March 2026 to begin pouring first concrete at the construction site of the NPP in Jizzakh region, signalling the official launch of the project.
Meanwhile, Uzbek and Russian official held a meeting in Tashkent to discuss nuclear safety. Russia’s Federal State Budgetary Institution NTTs YaRB (Nauchno Tekhnicheskii Tsentr po Yadernoi I Radiatsionnoi Bezopasnosti) and Uzbekistan’s State Institution Scientific & Technical Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (NTTs RYaB – Nauchno Tekhnicheskii Tsentr Radiatsionnoi I Yadernoi Bezopasnosti) took part in the talks. They discussed issues related to the prospects for cooperation between scientific and technical support organisations for state nuclear and radiation safety regulatory bodies on the organisation and conduct of safety examinations for NPPs under construction in Uzbekistan.
Following the consultations, in the presence of Sardorbek Yakubekov, Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistan’s Committee for Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety under the Cabinet of Ministers, an agreement was initialled between NTTs YaRB and NTTs RYaB for the provision of services for the analysis and evaluation of documents substantiating nuclear and radiation safety during the siting and construction of Uzbekistan’s first NPP unit. The document was signed by Sergey Shevchenko, Deputy Director of NTTs YaRB and Ibrahim Tashkent, Director of NTTs RYaB.
