Kazakhstan will hold a ceremonial launch on August 8 for the construction of its first nuclear power plant, to be built by Russia's Rosatom, near the village of Ulken in Almaty Region, the country's atomic energy agency announced Monday.
The official ceremony will feature speeches by dignitaries and the symbolic commencement of drilling work to collect soil samples, followed by the handover of a capsule to the Russian side for geological surveys, according to the agency's statement.
The $14 billion project comes after a 2024 national referendum showed majority public support for nuclear energy development. On June 14, Kazakh authorities selected Rosatom as the lead consortium partner after the Russian state nuclear corporation submitted the most competitive bid.
Kazakhstan's Atomic Energy Agency head Almaskadam Satkaliyev previously noted the seven-year construction timeline for the plant, which represents the first of three planned nuclear facilities. For the second plant, Kazakhstan is considering cooperation with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), another bidder in the initial tender process.
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Based on TASS materials