Feasibility study for NPP project in Kazakhstan could be ready in Dec - Dep PM Sklyar

ASTANA. July 15 (Interfax) - The feasibility study for the project to construct a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan could be ready in December 2025, Kazakh First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar said.

"The feasibility study for the project could be ready in December," Sklyar said during a government press conference on Tuesday.

The estimated $14 billion cost of building Kazakhstan's nuclear power plant may be adjusted after completion of the feasibility study, Sklyar said.

"The $14 billion estimate provided by the Atomic Energy Agency and nuclear plant representatives may be updated following the feasibility study," he said.

"Financing terms and interest rates remain under discussion. The project would not increase national debt as it represents "a commercially viable venture," he said.

Kazakh citizens approved the construction of a nuclear power plant in a referendum in 2024.

Almassadam Satkaliyev, chairman of Kazakhstan's Atomic Energy Agency, said on June 14 that the country's first NPP would be built by Russia's Rosatom, while the second plant was planned in cooperation with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

Later, it was reported that Rosatom had signed a roadmap with Kazakhstan for the construction of two VVER-1200 reactor units. The construction is expected to take approximately 11 years and could be completed by 2035-2036.

The first NPP may receive state export financing from Russia, with discussions currently underway.