Kazakhstan Negotiates with Potential Suppliers on Construction of Second Nuclear Power Plant

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Gumar Sergazin, Vice Chairman of the Atomic Energy Agency of Kazakhstan, stated at the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Kazakhstan is currently engaged in active negotiations with potential suppliers regarding the construction of the country's second nuclear power plant.

In his remarks, Sergazin emphasized that within the framework of implementing the national nuclear energy program, Kazakhstan is not only preparing for the construction of the first nuclear power plant, but is also negotiating with potential partners on the preparatory work for the second nuclear power plant.

Sergazin noted that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev approved the national atomic energy industry development strategy through 2050 in April 2026, which constitutes the core foundation for creating a modern nuclear industry cluster.

According to this development strategy, the cluster will, driven by the national nuclear program, deeply integrate multiple key areas including energy, industry, science, education, and high-tech production.

Regarding the first nuclear power plant, Kazakhstan has named it the "Balkhash" Nuclear Power Plant. The project is located along the shores of the lake of the same name in southern Kazakhstan, with Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) serving as the leader of the construction consortium.

At the recently concluded Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), Rosatom and "Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants" Company officially signed an engineering contract on September 3 to construct the Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant, which will comprise two units with a total installed capacity of 2,400 megawatts.

The project is located near Ulken Village in Almaty Region, with construction expected to officially begin in 2027 and completion and commissioning planned for 2037.

The proposed second nuclear power plant will be named "Moyynkum" and is planned to be sited near the first nuclear power plant. Chinese companies were previously considered as potential partners, but no specific construction agreement has been officially announced to date. In addition, the site for Kazakhstan's planned third nuclear power plant has not yet been made public.