The authorities of Kazakhstan, the main Central Asian power and a world-class uranium producer, announced on Saturday that Russia and China would build nuclear power plants in the country.
Kazakhstan's atomic energy agency said that Russia's Rosatom has been selected as the leader of the international consortium to build Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant.
A few hours later, China was announced as a possible builder for the country's second nuclear power plant.
Almasadam Satkaliyev, head of Kazakhstan's atomic energy agency, stated: "We plan to sign a separate cooperation agreement in the field of nuclear energy with China. We hope to see Chinese technology used in Kazakhstan to build another nuclear power plant."
According to him, "Russia and China objectively have the best solutions," including Rosatom and China National Nuclear Corporation. Previously, Electricite de France (EDF) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) were also in the running.
Mr. Satkaliyev said: "China is one of the countries with all necessary technologies and complete industrial infrastructure, and our next priority is to cooperate with China." He added that "a final decision will be made after reviewing all necessary details."
Rosatom expressed its welcome for Kazakhstan's decision in a statement and promised to "build a nuclear power plant based on Russian technology according to the most advanced and efficient projects in the world."
The company added: "The 3+ generation VVER-1200 reactor combines mature technical solutions with the latest active and passive protection systems and is strictly developed in accordance with international safety standards."
The first nuclear power plant will be built near the semi-abandoned village of Ulken (south of the second largest lake in Central Asia, Balkhash), while detailed information about the second power plant has not yet been disclosed.
Kazakhstan, an ex-Soviet republic with vast territory and an ally of Moscow, is the world's largest uranium producer (43%) and the EU's third-largest natural uranium supplier, but it suffers from severe electricity shortages domestically.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) noted that given the importance of Russia and China, the two neighboring countries in Central Asia, Kazakhstan's choice of these two countries was logical.
However, Kazakhstan's nuclear energy agency assured on Saturday that the country "has little or no dependence on Russian technology in nuclear technology," adding that Kazakhstan will "own" its first nuclear power plant.
Kazakhstan's leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has never shown any preference for the builders, only talking about the "international consortium," which aligns with his desire to maintain good relations with major powers.
Last autumn, after a national referendum, the construction of the first nuclear power plant was approved.
Source: rfi
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834951336434692/
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