Uzbekistan Nuclear Power Project Local Content Target Raised to 30%

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 2, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed the progress of the integrated nuclear power plant construction in the Jizzakh region and demanded an increase in the project's localization level. The total investment in the project is approximately $9.5 billion, with an estimated 3,000 types of products and equipment expected to be used during the construction period. Preliminary calculations show that local products currently account for 21% of the project's procurement volume, corresponding to approximately $1.9 billion; the new target is to raise the share of local products to at least 30%, with domestic enterprises undertaking 65% of the construction and installation works, and 7,000 local workers and specialists to be employed in the project's construction.

The layout of supporting industries has been determined simultaneously. The Uzbek side plans to build a 200-hectare specialized industrial park for building materials in the Farish district, where the nuclear power plant is located, with plans to attract at least 100 joint ventures and implement localized production in 15 product areas through technology transfer. The President has approved the relevant plan and required a draft resolution on tax and customs preferences for enterprises settling in the industrial park to be submitted by the end of 2026.

The external works of the nuclear power plant will include the construction of 388 km of power grid, one 110 kV substation, 21 km of drinking water pipelines, and 120 km of technical water supply pipelines, along with 39.5 km of roads and 11 km of railways. The Uzbek side requires that the share of local products and services in these infrastructure works reach 60% to 70%. The project management and technical supervision system also plans to introduce foreign engineering companies to establish joint ventures, conduct independent reviews of technical solutions, and promote the alignment of approximately 1,000 nuclear industry standards with Uzbekistan's national standards system.

The integrated nuclear power project entered the substantive construction phase on June 4. At present, the excavation of the reactor building foundation pit has been completed, with a cumulative excavated earth volume exceeding 1 million cubic meters; 916 cubic meters of concrete have been poured in certain areas of the foundation slab; and earthworks have been completed on the 100-hectare construction and installation base. There are currently 450 workers and specialists and over 100 pieces of specialized construction equipment on site. Uzbekistan's nuclear safety regulatory authority has previously completed reviews of the nuclear and radiation safety documentation for Units 1 and 2, which adopt the RITM-200N reactor, and has issued the site use permit and the nuclear power plant construction license.

According to the project configuration adjusted in 2025, the Jizzakh integrated nuclear power plant consists of two large VVER-1000 units and two 55 MW RITM-200N small modular reactors, with a total installed capacity exceeding 2.1 GW. The project was initially planned to build six RITM-200N units with a total capacity of 330 MW, which was subsequently adjusted through supplementary agreements to a combination of large units and small modular units.