The government of Kazakhstan has big plans for the development of the energy industry and sees nuclear energy as a sustainable alternative to coal production. This was stated by the CEO of Kazenergy, an association uniting 64 companies from the oil and gas industry, electric power and nuclear industry, Alibek Kuantirov.
„Our government strategically views nuclear power as a sustainable alternative to coal generation. Plans to build several nuclear units with a capacity of 1.2 or 2.4 GW by 2035 show the country's ambitious energy vision, Kvantirov said at the New Vision international forum in Almaty. According to Kvantirov, the positive results of the referendum on the construction of nuclear power plants, scheduled for autumn, “could become a catalyst for a significant breakthrough in Kazakhstan's nuclear industry, stimulating growth in various related sectors such as science, education, industry, construction, medicine and energy", said Kvantirov.
The general director of the association noted that by the end of 2023, Kazakhstan has consolidated its position as the largest producer of uranium in the world, occupying about 40% of the world market.
Currently, roughly 70% of Kazakhstan's electricity is produced from coal.
Earlier, the President of Kazakhstan Kasim-Jomart Tokaev announced that a referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country will be held in the fall of this year. Before that, Tokaev put forward the initiative for such a referendum in a message to the people on September 1, 2023. The Deputy Minister of Energy of the Republic of Sungat Yesimkhanov noted that according to surveys, 55-57% of the country's population supports the construction of nuclear power plants.
In 2023, the Ministry of Energy announced that, based on the results of research, the territory of the village of Ulken, Zhambil district, Alma-Ata region, was selected as the most preferred area for the construction of the station. The authorities are now considering several potential suppliers of nuclear technology - CNNC, KHNP, Rosatom and EDF. The cost of construction could be 10-12 billion USD.