Kazakhstan to begin construction of first nuclear power plant on 8 August

On August 8, 2025, a ceremonial event marking the start of construction of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant (NPP) will take place near the village of Ulken in the Zhambyl district of Almaty region. The project is being implemented by the Russian state corporation Rosatom. The announcement was made by Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants (KNPP), a subsidiary of the Samruk-Kazyna sovereign wealth fund and the designated operator of future nuclear facilities in the country.

According to the official media announcement, the ceremony will include speeches by government and industry representatives, the launch of drilling operations for soil sampling, and the symbolic handover of a capsule to the Russian side for further research.

While KNPP has been appointed as the operator for all future nuclear plants in Kazakhstan, the company is currently under the trust management of the Atomic Energy Agency, which oversees the implementation of the project in cooperation with international partners.

Rosatom was previously confirmed as the leader of the international consortium tasked with building Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, which will be located on the shores of Lake Balkhash. The plant will consist of two power units with a total capacity of 2.4 GW. According to the Atomic Energy Agency, commissioning is expected between 2035 and 2036. The project’s minimum estimated cost is $14 billion, as stated in June by the agency’s chairman, Almasadam Satkaliyev.

Meanwhile, the Chinese company CNNC has been named the lead developer for Kazakhstan’s second and third nuclear plants. Specific details about their location, capacity, and construction timeline have not yet been announced. First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar has suggested that CNNC may complete its project faster than Rosatom.

Previously, the Ministry of Energy, before responsibilities were transferred to the Atomic Energy Agency, and industry experts estimated the cost of a 2.4 GW nuclear plant in Kazakhstan at between $10 billion and $15 billion. However, in August 2024, a CNNC representative told the publication Kursiv that the company could implement a similar project for approximately $5.6 billion, converted from Chinese yuan.

In the early stages of the project, Kazakhstan considered four potential technology providers. These included CNNC with its HPR-1000 reactor, Rosatom with its VVER-1200 and VVER-1000 reactors, South Korea’s KHNP with the APR-1400, and France’s EDF with the EPR1200 reactor. The initial plan was to choose a partner by the end of 2022, later postponed to the end of the first quarter of 2023. Ultimately, the final decision was made following a national referendum. In October 2024, 71.12% of Kazakh citizens voted in favor of building a nuclear power plant.

In March 2025, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan should not stop at just one plant, but build three. He emphasized that developing a nuclear energy sector is vital for creating a new industrial base that can support the country’s long-term economic growth.

However, the project has drawn criticism from environmentalists, who are concerned about its potential impact on Lake Balkhash. Public activists and political analysts have also raised concerns about Russia’s involvement, warning that it could deepen Kazakhstan’s energy dependence on its neighbor.

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