Kazakhstan breaks ground on first modern nuclear power plant

Kazakhstan has taken the first step towards building its first modern nuclear power plant, launching engineering surveys in the village of Ulken in Almaty region.

Earlier in August, Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy and Russia's Rosatom held a ceremony to mark an official start to the nuclear power plant construction, which began with soil exploration.

“This project is a strategic choice for Kazakhstan, a driver of long-term economic growth for the region and the country as a whole,” said Agency for Atomic Energy Chair Almasadam Satkalityev.

He highlighted that the project would create jobs and modern infrastructure for this remote village, with around $1 billion (€860 million) earmarked for schools, hospitals and other social facilities alongside the estimated $14–15 billion (€12-13 billion) cost of the plant itself.

“The start of engineering surveys in Ulken is the first step towards the first large-capacity nuclear power plant in modern Kazakhstan,” said Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev.

“At this stage, we are focusing our efforts on a thorough study of the site to be absolutely sure of its suitability for the future nuclear power plant.”

Power plant construction vital to fix energy deficit

The exploration work involves drilling test boreholes and analysing soil samples to determine the site’s seismic stability and environmental suitability.

This stage of exploration will involve drilling at least 50 wells, 30-120 meters deep.

These studies, which will last for 18 months, will guide the final decision on the plant’s exact location.

The future facility will use Russia’s VVER-1200 reactor design, a Generation 3+ pressurised water reactor already in operation in countries like Belarus, Turkey and China.

Each reactor has a capacity of 1,200 MW and a lifespan of 60 years, which can be extended for another two decades.

In June, Kazakhstan announced that Rosatom would lead the consortium on building the first nuclear power plant, while Chinese CNNC was chosen to lead construction on the second one.

The construction of the power plants is vital for Kazakhstan as it is supposed to replenish the growing energy deficit in the country.

In 2024, the deficit stood at 2 billion kWh, which is enough to power around 500,000 households.