Kazakhstan prioritizing production localization, technology transfer when selecting vendor for NPP - PM

ASTANA. Feb 6 (Interfax) - Maximizing economic benefits, localizing production and transferring technology should be the key priorities when selecting a vendor for constructing Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said.

Bektenov held a meeting on the development of nuclear energy during which government members discussed the implementation of the president's directives on developing energy and creating a nuclear cluster, the government's press service said. In January, during an extended government session, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the government to begin work on establishing the cluster.

At the meeting, Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev reported on the negotiations held with potential suppliers for constructing the first NPP.

In 2024, the Kazakh population approved the construction of the plant in a nationwide referendum. Initially, the facility was planned for completion by 2035; however, the Energy Ministry later said that Kazakhstan would require vendors to complete the first NPP unit within a shorter timeframe - within eight years. The estimated cost of constructing the plant is between $10 billion and $12 billion.

Kazakhstan is currently considering large-capacity reactor technologies from four suppliers - France, China, Russia and South Korea. The average cost of one reactor unit is approximately $5 billion, the Energy Ministry said.

As part of the nuclear cluster project, Kazakhstan plans to build three NPPs. A comprehensive construction plan for these plants will be prepared in Q2 2025, the ministry said.