ASTANA, June 16. /TASS/. Kazakhstan will hold talks on securing state financing for the construction of the first nuclear power plant (NPP) in the republic, as well as on forming an international consortium, with Russia’s state corporation Rosatom, the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy reported.

The Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy, together with Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants LLP, will begin cooperation with Rosatom State Corporation on the formation of an effective international consortium and the attraction of state-backed export funding from the Russian Federation," the press service of the agency told TASS.

The Kazakh authorities announced on June 14 that Russia’s Rosatom would lead the international consortium for construction of the first NPP in Kazakhstan. China’s CNNC is expected to become the leader of the consortium for the construction of another NPP, though the decision will be made later, the agency noted.

"As part of efforts to form an effective international consortium, we held talks with all shortlisted participants, continue to engage with them, and remain committed to supporting this dialogue going forward. Kazakhstan is building the energy of the future, and there is room for various technological solutions in this system," the press service said. "Various options for collaboration with other companies from the shortlist are under consideration, including on other NPPs and related areas such as service and maintenance, localization and the nuclear fuel cycle," it added.

At present, "only Russia and China can independently offer a full range of services from financing to localization of nuclear fuel cycle stages, personnel training, design, construction, and handling and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel," the agency noted, adding that "Russia and China are constructing more than 20 reactors both domestically and overseas." "Moreover, Russia and China have more extensive experience of participation in international consortiums, as they are able to effectively combine equipment from different manufacturers," the press service said.

The Kazakh authorities considered several possible suppliers of nuclear technology for the construction of the first nuclear power plant, including China’s CNNC, South Korea’s KHNP, Rosatom, and France’s EDF.

A nationwide referendum on constructing a nuclear power plant was held in Kazakhstan last October, with the majority of voters supporting the initiative. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in March that the country needed to construct not one, but three plants for creating a nuclear cluster in the republic.