Uzbekistan and Rosatom deepen nuclear ties, first small plant construction set to begin

The first concrete for Uzbekistan’s future small modular nuclear power plant in the Jizzakh region is expected to be poured in a year, according to TASS, citing Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev.

According to Likhachev, all legal matters necessary to launch the small nuclear plant project have been finalized. The next steps involve “routine processes, project detailing, licensing, and pouring the first concrete.”

“When — not if — the leadership of Uzbekistan returns to the topic of building a large nuclear power plant, we will already have proposals ready. These will cover not only the design of future facilities but also financial and organizational matters, including significant localization efforts with Uzbek manufacturers,” Likhachev stated.

The head of the Russian state corporation emphasized that the project will be implemented in a format of international cooperation, incorporating the best practices in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. "However, the nuclear technologies, particularly the reactor island, will be Russian," he concluded.

On April 28, during the International Industrial Exhibition "INNOPROM. Central Asia," Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting with Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev. The discussions highlighted the dynamic development of cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear energy.

The two sides also discussed expanding cooperation in the use of nuclear technologies in agriculture and medicine, as well as the training of specialists through the branch of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) in Tashkent.