Scheme for placing a small nuclear power plant in Jizzakh approved

The layout of the small-scale nuclear power plant planned to be built in cooperation with the Russian company Atomstroyexport in the Forish district was approved. All participants expressed their readiness to implement the project to build a small-scale nuclear power plant.

On May 6, a joint meeting of the operational headquarters and the scientific and technical council dedicated to the implementation of the project for the construction of a small-capacity nuclear power plant was held under the chairmanship of Alisher Sultanov, Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan on Energy Security Issues. Uzatom reported this.

"The participants emphasized the fulfillment of contractual obligations within the specified time frame and stressed the need for strict compliance with the regulations. Special attention was also paid to the organization of the construction and assembly base, including the current stages of preparation and future work plans. The issues of allocating land plots and providing external infrastructure were also considered, which requires active cooperation with local authorities and contracting organizations," the report says.

It is noted that the scientific and technical council reviewed the results of engineering studies conducted at the selected site.

During the meeting, a scheme for the placement of a small-scale nuclear power plant in the Forish district of the Jizzakh region was approved, it was noted that this will allow the project to be adapted to regional needs and optimize electricity production.

In addition, the possibility of using Uzbekistan's natural uranium resources to produce nuclear fuel was discussed.

The meeting confirmed the readiness of all participants to successfully implement the project to build a small nuclear power plant.

The contract for the construction of the NPP was signed on May 27, 2024, during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tashkent between the NPP Construction Directorate and Atomstroyexport (Rosatom's engineering division). Rosatom will be the general contractor for the construction of the station, and Uzbek companies will also be involved in the construction.

Rosatom head Alexei Likhachev said the plant is planned to be commissioned "in stages" from 2029 to 2033.

It is noteworthy that the small NPP will be equipped with RITM-200N water-water nuclear reactors, which are used in nuclear icebreakers. However, no NPP with these reactors has been built on land so far.