28 Dec 2022 12:32

Kazakhstan to continue looking for company to build NPP in 2023 - state fund

ASTANA. Dec 28 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan will continue looking for a company to build its first nuclear power plant in 2023, Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund Managing Director for Strategy and Asset Management Yernat Berdigulov said.

"We did not choose a contractor for the NPP construction project before the end of this year. We are planning to continue this work next year," Berdigulov told reporters on Wednesday.

Four contractors - South Korean KHNP, Chinese CNNC, Russian Rosatom, and French EDF - are under consideration, he said.

"If we take an objective look at the technology, the technological angle, many experts agree that Rosatom is the leader. Rosatom builds over half of all the reactor units worldwide. They have the broadest experience of projects abroad, and vast experience in projects implemented by international consortiums," Berdigulov said.

Kazakhstan is exploring the possibility of an international consortium to unite several contractors, he said.

"We will continue looking for a vendor next year. Rosatom is leading from the technical point of view," Berdigulov said.

Earlier reports said that Kazakhstan might build a nuclear power plant with the assistance of an international pool of investors. Ulken in the Almaty region has been designated as the construction site. According to the Kazakh Energy Ministry, construction may take up to a decade, and the average cost of one reactor unit is $5 billion. The commissioning of a 2.4GW nuclear power plant is mentioned in the Kazakh energy balance forecast for the period until 2035 as an option.