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Construction of NPP in Kazakhstan requires $14-15 bln in investments — Rosatom CEO

Alexey Likhachev noted that this money is needed not only for the construction of the NPP itself, but also for planning its long-term operation

ASTANA, August 21. /TASS/. The construction of Kazakhstan's first NPP will require at least $14-15 billion, Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom said in an interview with Kazakh journalist Akmaral Batalova.

"At yesterday's event, the head of Kazakhstan's Atomic Energy Agency, Almasadam Satkaliyev, announced the investment amount of $14-15 billion. <...> We confirm this and believe that this is one of the best options for price and quality," Likhachev said.

The head of Rosatom noted that this money is needed not only for the construction of the NPP itself, but also for planning its long-term operation. It is necessary to think about the emergence of a new generation of NPPs now, Likhachev noted.

"We offer Kazakhstan not only to build a nuclear power plant together, but also to step into the fourth generation together," he said.

On August 8, Kazakhstan and Russia launched the construction of a nuclear power plant in the republic. The ceremony attended by Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev and Chairman of the Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency Almasadam Satkaliyev was held near the village of Ulken in the Almaty region of the republic.

As part of the construction of a nuclear power plant in the village of Ulken in Kazakhstan, Rosatom will build two power units with VVER-1200 reactors - the same as at the Akkuyu NPP, which is under construction in Turkey.

A referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant was held in Kazakhstan in 2024, the majority of voters supported the construction of the NPP. The village of Ulken, founded in 1984, is located in the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region, 340 kilometers from Almaty. The village is located on the shore of Lake Balkhash. It is expected that water from the lake will be used to cool the reactors of the nuclear power plant.