ASTANA, September 8. /TASS/. The Kazakh authorities expect the first nuclear power plant (NPP) to be commissioned in 10-12 years, Chairman of the republic's Agency for Atomic Energy Almasadam Satkaliyev told reporters.
"If the NPP construction period takes about 7-8 years considering design, preliminary work can take up to five years on average. We are looking at a period of 10-12 years on average for the plant to be put into operation," he said when asked about the timeframe of the plant’s construction.
First works on the NPP construction project have already begun in the village of Ulken in the Almaty region, including engineering surveys to select the optimal site and prepare design documentation, the official said. "According to the standard, they are carried out for at least two years. The design estimate documentation is adjusted, after which it must undergo the appropriate state examination, receive permission to start construction," he added.
During the design and survey works, the cost of infrastructure, power distribution schemes, physical protection systems, social security systems will also be calculated, Satkaliyev noted.
A nationwide referendum on constructing a nuclear power plant was held in Kazakhstan last year, with the majority of voters supporting the initiative. In June of this year, the Agency for Atomic Energy reported that among four companies (Rosatom, China's CNNC, France's EDF, and South Korea's KHNP) the Russian company had been chosen as the leader of the consortium for the NPP construction, having offered the best conditions. Satkaliyev said earlier that the NPP construction was planned to be regulated by an intergovernmental agreement with Russia, which Astana expected to sign this year.