Kazakhstan postpones proposals from US companies on construction of nuclear power plants

Kazakhstan has postponed proposals from US companies to build the republic's first nuclear power plant, the General Director of the Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants (KNPP) Timur Zhantikin said, Report informs via Russian media.

“The United States proposed two projects based on small-module reactors. We have postponed them for now because there are no operating nuclear power plants for them, and this can lead to various risks,” Zhantikin said.

The President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in his message to the Kazakhstani people on September 1, proposed putting the issue of constructing a nuclear power plant to a national referendum. In his opinion, it is necessary to continue public hearings and comprehensive broad discussion on this issue. The referendum date will be set after consultations with the public.

The authorities are now considering several potential suppliers of nuclear technology: the Chinese company CNNC, the South Korean KHNP, the French EDF and the Russian state corporation Rosatom.