The government has officially decided to build Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant in the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region, reports Kursiv.kz.
A decree by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has appeared in the database of regulatory acts.
"To approve the decision on the location of the nuclear facility 'Nuclear Power Plant' - Zhambyl district of the Almaty region. This decree comes into effect from the date of its first official publication," the document states.
On the map, the Zhambyl district, which borders the city of Almaty, is marked in red.
On October 6, 2024, a referendum was held in Kazakhstan on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Almaty region. At the time, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that the plant should be built by an international consortium of companies.
Kursiv reported that more than 70% of Kazakhstanis supported the construction of the nuclear power plant. A total of 5,561,937 people (71.12%) voted in favor, while 2,045,271 people (28.88%) voted against.
The Ministry of Energy told Kursiv that the first nuclear power plant, with a capacity of 2.4 GW, could be built using foreign export credits and/or loans from international financial organizations.
At the end of 2023, however, Samruk-Kazyna’s Managing Director for Strategy and Asset Management, Yernat Berdigulov, told Kursiv that the state holding company was considering two financing options for Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, including the possibility of using its own funds and resources from the National Fund.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
February 25, 2025