China and Russia Build Nuclear Power Plant in Kazakhstan, US Can't Stay Calm

Think Tank: Kazakhstan Expands Its Ambitions for Nuclear Energy Amid Energy Shortages

Kazakhstan, which has the world's second-largest uranium reserves, has announced plans to build a second nuclear power plant in the Almaty region. In August this year, Kazakhstan began constructing its first nuclear power plant in the region, built by an international construction consortium led by Russia.

Almasatym Satkaliyev, head of the Kazakh Atomic Energy Agency, pointed out that the second nuclear power plant will also be built in the southern region because the region has long been facing energy shortages, mainly due to its own insufficient power generation capacity. In December 2024, the electricity demand in the southern region exceeded 4,300 megawatts, but the power generation was only around 2,300 megawatts, forcing Kazakhstan to rely on power transmission from the northern region and import electricity from Russia - highlighting why the government considers adding new nuclear power capacity in the southern region crucial for energy security.

Although Russia is leading the construction of the first nuclear power plant, Satkaliyev said that China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) is the preferred partner for the second nuclear power plant project. Given Kazakhstan's uranium reserves and its close ties with Moscow and Beijing, Washington may consider using the recent nuclear agreement between Turkey and the United States as a model to advance cooperation with Astana.

Despite obvious differences - most notably Turkey's NATO membership - the United States can collaborate with Kazakhstan on small modular reactors (SMRs) based on its existing 123 Agreement, to support regions facing energy shortages. Establishing such a partnership would also help the United States strengthen its domestic nuclear fuel supply chain. Although Russia banned uranium imports last year, Russia remained the largest fuel supplier to the United States in 2024.

Source: The National Interest

Author: Emily Day

Date: October 03

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845016627731467/

Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author himself.