Kazakh Energy Ministry, France's EDF hold talks to select a supplier for building NPP

ASTANA. March 19 (Interfax) - The Kazakh Energy Ministry of held talks with representatives of the French company EDF, which operates nuclear power plants, the ministry's press service said.

"The meeting was part of a series of talks aimed at evaluating the proposals of potential suppliers of nuclear technology within the framework of a competitive dialogue to select a supplier or consortium for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan," it said.

EDF expressed its willingness to develop a long-term partnership with Kazakhstan, taking into account the accumulated experience based on the highest safety standards. The details of the meeting are not reported.

The intergovernmental agreements and contracts necessary for the construction of the first NPP in Kazakhstan are planned to be concluded in November 2025. In December 2024, the government approved the construction site of the NPP in the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region.

In 2024, the citizens of Kazakhstan approved NPP construction in a referendum. The plant was due to be built by 2035, but the country's Energy Ministry later said Kazakhstan would give contractors the task of building the first unit of the NPP in a shorter timeframe, within eight years. The cost of building the NPP is estimated at $10-12 billion.

Kazakhstan is currently considering high power reactor technologies from four suppliers - France, China, Russia and South Korea. According to the country's Energy Ministry, the average cost of one unit is $5 billion.

As part of the nuclear cluster project, three NPPs are to be built in the country. According to the Energy Ministry, a comprehensive plan for the construction of these NPPs is being prepared in the second quarter of 2025.