Presidents of Uzbekistan and Russia, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Vladimir Putin, officially launched construction of the first power unit of a nuclear power plant (NPP) in the Jizzakh region on June 4. The development was reported by president.uz and kremlin.ru.
The ceremony was held via videoconference from St. Petersburg. Among those attending were Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Andrey Petrov, First Deputy Director General of Rosatom; and Azim Akhmedkhadjaev, Director of the Uzbek atomic energy agency Uzatom.
In their speeches, both presidents highlighted the project's uniqueness.
«Rosatom will build two large Generation III+ reactors in the Jizzakh region of Uzbekistan, each with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, plus two small power units of 55 megawatts each. This unique scheme, chosen by the President of Uzbekistan, has no analogues in the world and will make the NPP as powerful and efficient as possible,» Putin said.
He noted that, once operational, the plant will generate about 17 billion kWh of electricity per year and cover up to 15% of Uzbekistan's needs.
Putin announced that Russia will provide Uzbekistan with a concessional export credit. Moscow will also offer support at every stage of the plant's life cycle, including long-term reactor fuel supply, servicing and technical maintenance, management of spent nuclear material, and training of qualified personnel. About 15,000 people are expected to be employed at the construction site.
The presidents stressed that all IAEA safety standards and environmental requirements will be observed throughout construction.
«Safety is an absolute and unconditional priority for us. The plant's construction and preparation for operation are based on the most modern international standards and advanced engineering solutions, and under constant IAEA supervision,» Mirziyoyev assured.
Earlier, during a separate meeting with Putin, Mirziyoyev recalled that Uzbekistan ranks fifth in the world in uranium production and tenth in reserves.
«This is our future for the next 60 years. Our new hybrid plant requires 19.5 tons of uranium. We are negotiating very seriously on this issue with our colleagues from Rosatom. I think the result will be mutually beneficial for both sides. This is a strategic energy project between Russia and Uzbekistan,» the Uzbek president emphasized.
For his part, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said during the video link that Uzatom and Rosatom act responsibly in all the projects they implement worldwide.
«They fully respect the principles of safety, security, and non-proliferation. We will facilitate the implementation of this project at all stages, you can be assured of that,» Grossi said.
The symbolic start of construction for the first power unit was given by students of the Tashkent branch of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (NRNU MEPhI), who pressed a button. A symbolic «first concrete» pouring was then carried out at the site of the future plant.
Uzatom noted that the pouring of the first concrete (133 cubic meters at the initial stage, with a total volume exceeding 10,000 cubic meters) grants the facility official status as a nuclear power plant under construction, in line with international IAEA standards.
According to Uzatom head Azim Akhmedkhadjaev, the cost of building the integrated NPP in Uzbekistan will reach $9.5 billion.
«We want to attract 85–90% [of the credit funds against the project cost]. According to our calculations, conducted jointly with international partners from the Big Four, if such an amount is invested in the project, the effect for the budget will exceed $165 billion. Ancillary services will emerge, and tax revenues will also come in. That is why this project is considered highly effective,» Akhmedkhadjaev said.
The cooperation agreement between Uzbekistan and Russia on nuclear energy, including construction of Uzbekistan's first NPP, was signed in December 2017. At that time, the complex was expected to consist of two power units with a capacity of 1,200 MW each.
A decision was later made to also build a small modular nuclear power plant and to start with it first. A new contract with Rosatom for the design, supply, and construction of the small modular NPP was concluded on May 27, 2024, in Tashkent during the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The plant will be built on a site of about 525 hectares near Lake Tuzkan in the Farish district of the Jizzakh region.
Under the latest agreements, two small power units with RITM-200N reactors of 55 MW each and two large power units with VVER-1000 reactors will be built in the Farish district. The complex will have a total capacity of 2.1 GW, with the power units scheduled to launch between 2029 and 2035.
