Kazakh Media: Why were the construction tasks of the first two nuclear power plants in Kazakhstan awarded to Russian and Chinese companies? Response from the Kazakh Atomic Energy Agency.
Kazakhstan International News Agency report, the Kazakh Atomic Energy Agency explained why it entrusted the construction of the first two nuclear power plants to Russian and Chinese companies when responding to inquiries from Kazinform.
Experts at the agency stated: "From a technical perspective, the design life span of all reactors is 60 years. However, the South Korean APR1000 and French EPR1200 reactors lack practical operational experience. In contrast, the Russian VVER-1200, Chinese HPR1000, and South Korean APR1400 technologies have practical application cases."
Russia, China, and France are involved in the entire nuclear fuel cycle process, while South Korea's participation in this field is relatively low. Additionally, Russia and China are willing to discuss the possibility of localizing certain aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle in Kazakhstan.
The agency pointed out that Russia and China have constructed more than 20 reactors overseas, whereas France and South Korea have each built only two: South Korea has built APR1400 domestically and APR1000 in the Czech Republic; France has built EPR1600 in the UK.
In addition, Russia and China have accumulated rich experience in international cooperation projects and can effectively integrate equipment from different manufacturers to optimize project implementation.
The atomic energy agency emphasized: "At present, only Russia and China can independently provide a full range of services from financing, nuclear fuel cycle isolation, personnel training, to design, construction, operation, and disposal of spent nuclear fuel."
According to previous reports, the Kazakh Atomic Energy Agency has completed the selection work for the leading consortium of the first nuclear power plant project. Within an open, transparent, and competitive dialogue framework, Kazakhstan negotiated with leading reactor technology manufacturers worldwide and organized on-site inspections of related enterprise production facilities.
Based on the evaluation results, Rosatom was considered to have provided the most optimized and feasible construction plan. CNNC ranked second, and EDF and KHNP tied for third. Thus, Rosatom was officially confirmed as the lead party of the international consortium for the construction project of Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1835075131679751/
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