Rosatom and Uzbekistan’s nuclear utility Uzatom are working on a contract for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country. Rosatom is also ready to offer Uzbekistan options for low-power NPPs. “Rosatom and the Uzatom agency are working on a draft general contract for the construction of nuclear power plants; this is an extensive and multifunctional work”, Russian deputy prime minister and head of the Ministry of Industry & Trade Denis Manturov said on the sidelines of the international exhibition, ‘Innoprom – Central Asia.’ At the same time, he said, Rosatom is ready to offer additional proposals to Uzbekistan, including for low-power nuclear power plants.
This venture follows an arrangement dating from 2017 when Uzbekistan signed an agreement with the Russian Federation to construct two VVER-1200 pressurised water reactors. The country is a major supplier of uranium, but it does not currently have any nuclear power plants, although it does have two operational nuclear research reactors from the Soviet era that have been converted to run on low-enriched uranium (LEU).
According to Mr Manturov, a site for the construction of the station has already been chosen – near Tuzkan Lake in Jizzakh region. Engineering surveys at this site have been completed, and its suitability for the construction of a nuclear plant has been confirmed. In addition, the optimal technical configuration of the project has been determined.
“Currently, together with the Uzbek customer and international experts, technical issues are being considered on the integration of the nuclear power plant into the energy system, joint work with renewable energy sources, reducing water consumption for operating the station, as well as maximum electricity generation taking into account the climatic conditions of the site,” said Mr Manturov.
