Commission to examine offers with decision expected by end of November
The Kazakh Atomic Energy Agency has shortlisted four companies to supply reactors for its first nuclear power plant, press reports said.
They are Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), France’s EDF and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).
According to the Astana Times, Kazakhstan held negotiations between February and March with representatives from all four companies.
Rosatom is offering its VVER-1200 nuclear plant technology, KHNP its APR-1000/APR-1400, EDF its EPR1200 and CNNC its HPR-1000, or Hualong One design.
Astana will set up a commission to examine the offers with a decision expected by the end of November.
“The final decision on the choice of a supplier or consortium for the implementation of the project will be made at a meeting of the interdepartmental commission, taking into account the national interests of the country,” reports quoted a Kazakh Atomic Energy Agency as saying.
“Discussions have centred on various aspects, including personnel training, localisation, financial arrangements, and technological solutions,” the Astana Times said, quoting the energy ministry and the state-owned Kazinform news agency.
A strategic uranium reserve will be established to support the operation of the planned nuclear station, the Astana Times said.
Kazakhstan is the world’s largest uranium producer, accounting for 40% of the global output, but has no commercial nuclear power plant. It has four operational research reactors that are used for fuels and materials testing.
“The construction of a nuclear power plant will allow Kazakhstan to utilise its vast uranium resources to secure its domestic energy supply,” the Astana Times said.
Background: Kazakhstan’s Preferred Nuclear Site
Kazakhstan has designated the Zhambyl district in the south of the country as the site for its first nuclear power station, according to a government decree, reported by local media.
Zhambyl, also spelled Jambyl, borders Kyrgyzstan. Its main administrative centre, Taraz, is almost 500 km west of the nation’s largest city of Almaty.
Press reports in Kazakhstan said the exact location for the planned nuclear station has not been announced, but it is expected to be near the village of Ulken.
Ulken is about 350 km northwest of Almaty on the shores of Lake Balkhash in southeastern Kazakhstan.
Ulken was established in the 1980s to house workers for a planned hydroelectric power plant. That project was unfinished when the Soviet Union collapsed and high-rise apartments are the only completed constructions from the period.
In October, voters in Kazakhstan backed the construction of a nuclear power station in a referendum.
