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Kazakhstan and China Advance Nuclear Partnership With New Reactor Plans
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
China will construct two nuclear power plants in Kazakhstan, First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar announced during a government press conference, Orda.kz reported on July 31.
According to Sklyar, feasibility studies and project documentation are currently in progress, and it is too early to estimate the total cost of construction.
"All issues related to the intergovernmental agreement and the form of cooperation are in the coordination stage, and will later be subject to ratification in parliament," he stated.
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Specialists from the Atomic Energy Agency are currently “identifying suitable locations” for the future plants, focusing on areas with access to water resources and power distribution infrastructure, Sklyar added.
According to The Moscow Times, while the name of the Chinese company leading the project has not been disclosed, it is expected that China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) will be awarded the contract. CNNC has previously partnered with Russia’s Rosatom on nuclear construction projects in Kazakhstan.
The decision to build Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant was approved by national referendum in 2024. In June, the Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the first of three stations would be built by Rosatom in the Almaty Region, near the village of Ulken in Zhambyl District on the shores of Lake Balkhash. The plant is scheduled to begin operations between 2035 and 2036 The Moscow Times reported.
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In addition, Kazakhstan plans to generate 2.4 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2035.
Earlier, it was reported that China emerged as a major supplier of rare metals essential to Russia’s defense industry, despite its official stance of neutrality in the war against Ukraine.
According to an investigation by "Schemes," a project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, nearly two dozen Chinese companies continue to export gallium, germanium, and antimony to Russian firms engaged in weapons manufacturing.
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-588fc0d7340a9d34caa666b77ee15bb5.jpg "Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev (R) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (L) examine a sniper rifle while visiting a military base during combined military exercises on September 29, 2009, near Baranovichi, Belarus. (Source: Getty Images)")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")