News
International consortium to be created to build small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — An international consortium will be created to build a small nuclear power plant (NPP) in Uzbekistan. This was stated by the Director of the Atomic Energy Agency (Uzatom) Azim Akhmedkhadjaev.
In an interview with the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel, he noted that, according to experts, by 2040 the share of nuclear energy in global electricity production will increase from the current 9% to 25%.
In May last year, the Directorate for the Construction of Nuclear Power Plants at Uzatom and the Atomstroyexport company (an engineering division of Rosatom) signed a contract for the construction of a small nuclear power plant with a capacity of 330 MW (six reactors of 55 MW) on Lake Tuzkan in the Jizzakh region. Rosatom will act as the general contractor for the project, while Uzbek companies will also be involved in the construction.
Azim Akhmedkhadjaev emphasized that the President of Uzbekistan especially noted the need for the international nature of the project, with the involvement of various foreign structures. The project will involve not only Russian technologies, but also non-nuclear developments from China, as well as software and hardware solutions of European manufacture.
"Thus, we will create an international consortium that will allow the project to be implemented as efficiently as possible, using advanced technologies," he explained.
According to him, the project will also use "non-standard approaches", including the use of dry cooling towers of Hungarian or Chinese manufacture, which will reduce water consumption at the power plant.
The head of Uzatom added that the branch of the Russian National Research Nuclear University MEPhI in Tashkent has already graduated 117 specialists who are employed, undergoing advanced training and will participate in the implementation of the project.
The construction of the small nuclear power plant is being carried out under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to Akhmedkhadjaev, the organization's specialists, together with Rosatom, monitor compliance with safety norms and standards. In addition, Uzatom has developed a separate cooperation program with the IAEA aimed at training personnel and ensuring nuclear safety in the country.
The director of Uzatom also said that, on the instructions of the republic's leadership, a study of alternative options for implementing similar projects in Uzbekistan will begin.
"The volume of reforms carried out by our esteemed president requires significant energy resources. We are confident that nuclear energy is one of the key sources of energy that can ensure large-scale development of the country's economy and support the electrification of industry," Akhmedkhadzhaev noted.
In October last year, the head of the Directorate for the Construction of Nuclear Power Plants, Otabek Amanov, said that the small nuclear power plant would be owned by Uzbekistan. It is planned to use domestic uranium to produce nuclear fuel, and the spent fuel will be exported to Russia.
Source
PARTNERS
