Uzbekistan’s nuclear deal: Why Rosatom was chosen without a tender

Why was there no referendum, unlike in Kazakhstan?

In response to questions about why Uzbekistan did not hold a referendum on nuclear power, as Kazakhstan did, and why a Russian company was selected directly, Akhmedkhodjaev pointed to the 2018 intergovernmental agreement between Uzbekistan and Russia. Initially, the plan was to build a large-scale nuclear plant, but later, the decision was made to opt for a low-power NPP.

According to him, since there was already an agreement with Russia and significant research and financial investments had been made at the selected site, it was more practical to proceed with the existing plan rather than restarting the process with a different technology provider.

"If we were to switch to another technology now, we would have to start everything from scratch," Akhmedkhodjaev explained.

Is Uzbekistan a testing ground for Russia's nuclear technology?

Akhmedkhodjaev emphasized that Russia is currently the only country with an operational reference station for small nuclear energy, while others are still in the testing phase. The reactors Uzbekistan will use were originally designed for nuclear ships.

"Yes, these reactors have not been used in land-based nuclear power plants before, but they have been adapted for that purpose. Uzbekistan’s small NPP will be powered by the RITM-200N water-cooled nuclear reactor, a technology that has been in use for over 60 years," he stated.

When asked if Uzbekistan was effectively becoming a testing ground for unproven land-based applications, Akhmedkhodjaev dismissed the concern:

"What difference does it make whether the reactor operates in water or on land? The process of generating electricity is the same. The reactor functions in nuclear fleets as well as on land. This is not new technology; it has already been tested and is classified as a reference technology," he explained.

Why was Rosatom awarded the project without a tender?

Regarding concerns that Rosatom was selected without a competitive bidding process, Akhmedkhodjaev argued that Uzbekistan’s constitution does not require such a procedure for selecting nuclear power plant contractors.

"There is no such requirement in our constitution. Moreover, the president, whom the majority of the population has entrusted with governing the country, has the authority to make such decisions. These decisions are not made impulsively but are based on in-depth analysis," said the head of Uzbekistan’s Atomic Energy Development Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers.