NucNet Nuclear News Daily / 3 September 2026

Kazakhstan has signed an engineering, construction and procurement (EPC) contract with Russia for construction of the Balkhash nuclear power station, the first large-scale commercial nuclear facility in the central Asian country.

Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said in a statement that the facility, approved in a 2024 referendum, will comprise of two power units with a combined total capacity of 2,400 MW.

It will be built on the shores of Lake Balkhash, near the village of Ulken in the Zhambyl district of Kazakhstan’s Almaty region. Ulken is about 900 km southeast of the capital Astana.

The contract was signed on 3 September between Rosatom and Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants (KNPP) on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia.

A consortium led by Rosatom won the project over competing bids from China National Nuclear Corporation, France’s EDF and South Korea’s Hydro & Nuclear Power.

Rosatom said that as head of the project consortium it will be responsible for the entire project cycle from design and procurement to construction, commissioning and handover of the completed facility to the customer.

The facility will have two Generation III+ VVER-1200 pressurised water reactors, each with an electrical capacity of 1200 MW. Rosatom said the technology is already in operation or under construction at sites in Russia, Belarus, Turkey, Bangladesh, Hungary, Egypt and China.

The reactor’s service life is 60 years, with the possibility of an additional 20-year extension.

Survey Work Already Underway

Survey work at the site began in August 2025. Specialists have drilled over 60 boreholes up to 120 meters deep, extracting samples for analysis, and are testing materials to select the optimal site for the power units. This work will be completed in 2027 and will be followed by an application for construction permits.

In May, Kazakhstan and Russia signed an agreement on the fundamental principles and terms of cooperation for the project. That agreement defined the key parameters of the project and key areas of cooperation during the plant’s operational life, including maintenance and fuel supply, Rosatom said.

Despite being the world’s top uranium producer, Kazakhstan has not produced large-scale nuclear energy of its own.

Plans to deploy large-scale nuclear power during the Soviet era were dropped due to the availability of other energy options, although the country operated a single BN-350 fast neutron reactor at the Caspian Sea site of Aktau between 1972 and 1999. In addition to providing power for Aktau, the BN-350 was also used for producing plutonium and for desalination to supply fresh water to the city.

Kazakhstan is advancing its nuclear power programme to diversify its energy mix and reduce reliance on coal, which makes up roughly 50% of the total energy supply, with substantial use in the industrial and residential sectors.

In February Kazakhstan approved construction of its second nuclear power station on a site alongside the one already chosen for the Balkhash plant.

Swedish nuclear technology company Studsvik has signed an agreement with a consortium of companies that could lead to work beginning on the development of a four-unit small modular reactor (SMR) project of approximately 1,200 MW at one of two sites in Sweden.

The agreement, with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, GE Vernova Financial Services, DS Investment Partners and Samsung C&T, is to advance work on the “ReFirm” project to deploy BWRX-300 SMR plants at either Nyköping or Valdemarsvik, both municipalities to the south of Stockholm in southeast Sweden.

ReFirm is a multi-site SMR and new nuclear development programme that became part of the Studsvik Group through the acquisition of Kärnfull Next (KNXT) earlier this year.

KNXT has worked with GE Vernova Hitachi on BWRX-300 deployment in Sweden since 2022 and entered a teaming agreement with Samsung C&T in December 2024.

The Studsvik agreement is exclusive for a fixed period, which the parties may extend.

Studsvik said it had selected GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Samsung C&T as its strategic partners following a competitive evaluation process.

At Nyköping, Studsvik operates an existing licensed nuclear facility that has advanced laboratories, hot cells for inspecting nuclear fuel, and fuel storage pools. At Valdemarsvik, an application was submitted in March 2026, the first made under Sweden’s new legislation requiring government approval for nuclear facilities.

Which site hosts the first project will be decided during the development work.

Aim Is To Support Standardisation

The phased, multi-unit structure of the project is intended to support standardisation across the ReFirm programme and create opportunities to capture lessons learned from early deployment and apply them to subsequent units. This will help improve cost, schedules and productivity, Studsvik said.

It will also help maximise Swedish industrial participation throughout engineering, procurement, construction, and long-term operations. This reflects the broader objective of building a supply chain that can support not only the first project, but also follow-on units and wider deployment opportunities in Sweden and Europe.

“Studsvik has worked in nuclear technology for more than 75 years, and that capability is what a new plant needs to get through design, qualification and commissioning,” the company said.

“Beyond any equity participation, a domestic new-build programme of this scale is expected to create long-term opportunities for Studsvik’s services over the operating life of the plants.”

Studsvik said the agreement marks the next phase of development and does not constitute a final investment decision or authorisation to construct. The parties will begin joint development work immediately, including commercial, technical, regulatory and financing activities during the exclusivity period.

Studsvik will lead permitting, the environmental impact assessment, site rights, community engagement and dialogue with the Swedish state. GE Vernova Hitachi will lead reactor design, licensing support and cost estimation. It will also act as design authority, and, together with Samsung C&T, as the execution team.

During the exclusivity period, DS Investment Partners, a South Korean investment firm, will lead the investment and GE Vernova Financial Services will participate in an advisory and financial structuring capacity in support of the consortium.

Studsvik said a joint project company will be established to support development, financing, construction, ownership and operation of the plants.

Sweden’s Plans To Expand Capacity

Sweden is expanding nuclear capacity under legislation in force since 2026 that permits reactors at sites beyond the country’s three existing nuclear stations. The government has also reversed a decades-long policy of shutting down existing reactors.

In May 2025, Sweden passed a law establishing a state aid framework including government-backed loans and two-way contracts for difference for companies planning to build nuclear reactors, covering projects with a total capacity of up to 5,000 MW.

In June Studsvik said it had applied to the government for state support to develop up to 1,400 MW of new nuclear capacity using SMRs.

Sweden has six large-scale reactor units in commercial operation at three sites: Forsmark, Oskarshamn and Ringhals. According to International Atomic Energy Agency data, nuclear energy provided 29% of the country’s electricity generation in 2024.

The country now plans to add around 2.5 GW of capacity by 2035, with the aim of deploying both large-scale reactors and small modular reactors.

Sweden has designed a comprehensive support package that includes a minimum electricity price, state-backed construction loans and a mechanism for sharing project risks.

Last week power company Fortum submitted an application for Swedish state aid to build new nuclear reactors at Oskarshamn, southeastern Sweden, as it seeks to meet rising customer demand for energy.

Three other nuclear developers – Nordic Baseload Power, Videberg Kraft and Blykalla – have applied to the Swedish government to build new nuclear power plants.

Maritime leaders Lloyd’s Register and AP Moller Maersk will research the safety and operational requirements of launching a “Pink Corridor” nuclear shipping route between the US and UK in collaboration with the US Port of Charleston and the UK’s Felixstowe.

The companies said the project would focus on the security and safeguard operations required for such a nuclear-powered shipping route.

If successful, the project would move to a potential second phase covering the engineering, regulatory and legislative requirements that such a route would need.

The companies said the project would be centred on a conceptual nuclear-powered containership and would also cover ship security, cyber resilience, emergency response, insurance regimes and alignment between nuclear and maritime regulations.

According to Lloyd’s Register, the Pink Corridor project would support bilateral agreements between the US and UK, such as the US-UK Technology Prosperity Deal aimed in part at exploring civil nuclear maritime applications and a shipping corridor between them.

“The joint development programme is an important step for the application of nuclear technology in merchant shipping,” said Nick Gross, director for global containerships at Lloyd’s Register.

“The partnership brings together industry-leading players across shipping, ports and classification, reflecting the growing interest in nuclear technology as a route to more sustainable maritime operations.”

The company said the study also built on a regulatory assessment carried out in 2024 with maritime nuclear technology company Core Power researching the safety and operational requirements for nuclear powered container ships.

The initiative was also well received by the ports involved.

“As the UK’s largest and busiest container port, the Port of Felixstowe is well-positioned to support the Pink Corridor and contribute practical insight to this important early-stage work,” said Adam Ramsey, commercial director at Felixstowe.

Nuclear-Powered Shipping Attracts Global Interest

The potential for nuclear powered shipping is attracting growing attention globally, highlighted by the recent launch of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Atomic Technologies Licensed for Applications at Sea (Atlas).

This global initiative aims to support the use of nuclear power in shipping and floating power plants and was signed by 25 countries.

Recently, the head of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) also welcomed working in collaboration with the IAEA through the Atlas initiative as work advances on the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) at sea.

Nuclear-powered vessels could operate for years without refuelling, say experts, and protect shipping from fuel-price shocks as well as providing low-carbon power to ports and industry. However, regulation and safety considerations must be addressed for nuclear power’s widespread commercial adoption.

According to Statista, the global maritime shipping industry is responsible for around 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. With emissions from this hard-to-abate sector continuing to grow, the industry is under increasing pressure to decarbonise.

But with shipping still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, particularly heavy fuel oil, significant transformations will be required if the sector is to achieve its goal of net zero by 2050.

Core Power and the Port of Corpus Christi Authority recently signed a memorandum of collaboration establishing a framework for a site-specific maritime nuclear readiness study at the Port of Corpus Christi in the US state of Texas.

Key steam turbine components for Rolls-Royce SMR’s first three small modular reactors (SMRs) at the Gwyndod project, on Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in North Wales, will be manufactured at Siemens Energy’s Newcastle site in northeast England.

The components will include high-pressure turbines and valve casings.

Rolls-Royce SMR said this marks the first time such components will be produced for a SMR anywhere in Europe.

The Newcastle facility is also planned to become the service hub for Siemens Energy’s key components for the Rolls-Royce SMR UK fleet.

Miatta Fahnbulleh, secretary of state for energy security and net zero, said: “This is what our golden age of nuclear looks like in practice: skilled jobs in Newcastle, stronger British manufacturing and a more secure energy future.

“Producing these components here in the UK will help strengthen our energy security, reduce our exposure to volatile international gas markets, create new export opportunities for British industry, and reindustrialise the UK.”

Rolls-Royce SMR selected Siemens Energy, a world leader in steam turbine technology, as its global turbine systems partner in February 2025.

The Newcastle facility will produce vital components for the Gwyndod project and for the growing SMR export market.

The facility is on the site of the historic CA Parsons Works, which have been been a critical part of the UK’s energy infrastructure since 1889 – including building the steam turbine for Calder Hall in West Cumbria, the world’s first commercial nuclear power station which began generating in 1956.

CA Parsons was a British engineering firm which was once one of the largest employers in the region. The company merged with A. Reyrolle & Company to form Reyrolle Parsons in 1968, merged with Clarke Chapman to form Northern Engineering Industries in 1977, and became part of Rolls-Royce in 1989. Today the company is part of Siemens Energy.

In April, Rolls-Royce SMR and UK government body Great British Energy - Nuclear (GBE-N) signed a contract that enabled work to start on the delivery of three Rolls-Royce SMRs at the Gwyndod site, formerly known as Wylfa.

The three-unit project will generate at least 1,400 MW, supplying enough stable, clean electricity to power the equivalent of around three million of today’s homes for more than 60 years.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has proposed a rule that would set clearer groundwater protection standards for communities near uranium in-situ recovery (ISR) sites, while also easing administrative timelines for decommissioning radioactive materials facilities and nuclear reactors and ensuring safety.

The rule addresses two distinct areas of NRC oversight. First, it would establish criteria for protecting drinking water from radiological and non-radiological contamination near ISR facilities, where uranium is extracted from underground deposits by injecting fluids into ore-bearing rock.

Second, it would streamline the process for extending decommissioning timelines, cutting redundant administrative steps that facility owners currently face when winding down operations.

NRC officials said the changes are intended to reduce costs for applicants while avoiding premature license terminations that can result from rigid timeline requirements.

“This proposed rule reflects the NRC’s commitment to protecting public health by putting a framework into place establishing clear, enforceable standards for groundwater safety near uranium recovery sites,” said NRC executive director for operations Mike King.

“At the same time, we are closing the gap in our regulations, improving regulatory efficiency, and providing greater certainty for both communities and facility operators.”

ISR is currently being used at approximately 16 uranium recovery facilities in the US and is considered a lower-impact alternative to conventional mining.

The public has 30 days after the rule’s publication in the Federal Register to submit comments at regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2025-1204.