Rosatom chief: Preparations underway for 2nd phase of Kazakhstan’s first NPP project
Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev has revealed the current progress of the project to build Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant and announced when full-scale construction work is expected to begin, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to the Rosatom chief, research activities at the site of the future nuclear power plant are nearing completion, while the technical design is being developed and contract documentation is being finalized.
“We are completing research work at the site and the necessary monitoring, which must be carried out within 12 months. The data is being incorporated into the project. Large-scale work is underway on the technical design and finalization of the contract. Its key terms were signed in Vladivostok. The proposals that have now been confirmed require technical reconciliation,” Alexey Likhachev told journalists on the sidelines of the World Atomic Week 2026 international forum in Antalya.
He noted that one of the key objectives for next year is to move on to full-scale work at the future plant's construction site.
“As we promised the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, our task is to enter the site next year and begin full-scale operations. The suppliers have already been identified, as has the main contractor from Kazakhstan that will oversee the work. The international participants in the consortium have also been determined. Extensive work is underway to prepare for the second phase. We will resolve all the tasks related to the zero phase,” Likhachev emphasized.
He also expressed hope that Kazakhstani media representatives would be able to visit the site in Ulken, on the shore of Lake Balkhash, next year, where construction activities are expected to unfold.
The Rosatom chief also highlighted the transparency of the decision-making process related to the project, recalling the nationwide referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan and the competitive selection process to determine the leader of the international consortium.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that Kazakhstan plans to establish a multi-tiered national strategic uranium reserve exclusively for domestic use.