State agency Rosatom says construction of six-unt small modular reactor scheduled to begin this summer
Russia and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on Monday (27 May) for Moscow to build a small nuclear power plant in the Central Asian country with construction scheduled to begin this summer.
The agreement came as Russian president Vladimir Putin held talks in the Uzbek capital with Uzbekistan leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Mirziyoyev hailed the project as “vital” in remarks after the talks, noting that Uzbekistan has “its own large reserves of uranium.” Putin, in turn, vowed to “do everything in order to work effectively on Uzbekistan’s [nuclear energy] market”.
If the agreement is implemented, the small modular reactor (SMR) plant would become the first in Central Asia.
Rosatom said in a statement that the project involves the construction of a plant in the Jizzakh regio, west of the capital Tashkent in the east of the country.
There are no nuclear power plants in any of the five ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, although Uzbekistan and its neighbour Kazakhstan, both uranium producers, have long said their growing economies needed them.
The plant will be based on a Russian design and have a total capacity of 330 MW comprising of six reactors with a capacity of 55 MW each.
Rosatom will be the general contractor for the construction of the plant and local companies will be involved in the construction process, the statement said.
‘Not Just A Preliminary Agreement’
Russia will use its RITM-200N reactor technology, which is an adaptation of marine technology for land-based deployment. RITM-200 reactors, on which the RITM-200N is based, have been used on Russian icebreakers. Since 2012, 10 RITM-200 reactors have been manufactured with the first three already in operation on vessels in the western Arctic.
The agreement was signed by Rosatom’s engineering division Atomstroyexport and Uzebkistan’s State Directorate for the Construction of Nuclear Power Plants, part of Uzatom, the state agency for the development of nuclear energy.
Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom’s director-general, said Rosatom has confirmed its “undisputed global leadership in nuclear energy” by signing the first-ever export contract for the construction of a small nuclear power plant. “This is not just a preliminary agreement; we are starting construction this summer,” he said.
Uzatom director Azim Akhmedkhadjaev said that according to forecasts, demand for energy resources in Uzbekistan will almost double by 2050.
“It is evident that for the stable operation of the energy system and economic development, our country must ensure a baseload power source in addition to renewable energy sources.
A Global Interest In New Nuclear
“We are witnessing a global increase in interest in new nuclear projects, both in large-capacity power plants and small modular reactors.”
Uzbekistan, a Central Asian country of 33 million people, is looking to nuclear power as a low-carbon energy source to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost electricity generating capacity.
A small nuclear plant based on the RITM-200N reactor is already under construction in the village of Ust-Kuyga, Yakutia, 4,000 km to the east of Moscow in the country’s Far East.
The first unit is expected to begin operation in 2028. The facility will provide electricity to industrial enterprises, including the development of the Kyuchus gold ore deposit and the Deputatskoye and Tirekhtyakh tin deposits.
Rosatom said small nuclear power plants offer advantages over larger plants including shorter construction times and the potential to increase capacity according to needs.
According to International Atomic Energy Agency, there are about 50 SMR projects and concepts at various stages of development worldwide.
Russia says it is the only country that has practical experience of SMR construction. In 2020, Russia was the first in the world to commission a floating nuclear power plant, the Akademik Lomonosov, which supplies energy to consumers in the remote city of Pevek in Chukotka.
