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Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev visited Uzbekistan and discussed the construction of the first integrated nuclear power plant

Alexey Evgenyevich Likhachev, Director General of the State Corporation Rosatom, paid an official visit to Uzbekistan on January 27, 2026.

The key event of the visit was a meeting between Alexey Likhachev and the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev, during which the construction of the country’s first integrated nuclear power plant in the Jizzakh region was discussed.

Alexey Likhachev reported that since October 2025, active work has been underway on developing the excavation pit for a small modular reactor (SMR), with the first concrete works scheduled for March 2026 — significantly earlier than originally planned.

The parties noted the dynamic development of Uzbek-Russian cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear energy and emphasized the project’s uniqueness: for the first time in the world, large-capacity units (VVER-1000) and small-capacity units will be constructed simultaneously at one site. This complex is already being considered as a demonstration platform for advanced nuclear technologies.

Nuclear energy has been recognized as a key element of Uzbekistan’s strategy to increase the share of green energy to 52% by 2030.

As part of the visit, working meetings were also held with Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan J. Khodjaev and Director of the Atomic Energy Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan (Uzatom) A. Akhmedkhadjaev, during which specific tasks, milestones, and project implementation timelines were defined.

All work is being carried out strictly according to schedule and in full compliance with international nuclear safety standards, including IAEA requirements.

Special attention was paid to the application of peaceful nuclear technologies beyond electricity generation — in medicine (diagnostics and treatment), agriculture (seed and product processing), industry, and science.

Alexey Likhachev also presented plans to establish a nuclear cluster based at the plant, bringing together energy, scientific research, high-tech production, and social projects to ensure the comprehensive development of regions.

An important area of cooperation remains personnel training: the parties agreed to continue and expand the education of young specialists from Uzbekistan at MEPhI and other Rosatom educational institutions, as well as to further develop the MEPhI branch in Tashkent.

The visit of Alexey Likhachev confirmed the strength of the strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Russia in the nuclear sector.

The agreements reached open up new opportunities to strengthen energy security and improve the well-being of both countries.

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