Kazakhstan Set on Pursuing Full Nuclear Energy Path

Building on last year’s referendum that approved the pursuit of nuclear energy in Kazakhstan, the government is swiftly working to lay the foundation for at least two reactors.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has expressed his intention to eventually establish a “nuclear cluster” in the country to drive economic growth, The Caspian Post reports citing Eurasianet.

The government is working to finalize an agreement on the construction of an initial nuclear plant in the Almaty region “in the near future,” according to a report published by the Kazakh news outlet Vlast.kz, citing Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. Preliminary work is being performed to identify a second site for a nuclear plant, Bektenov added during a January 28 government session.

In a major policy speech on January 28, Tokayev indicated that Kazakhstan’s ability to sustain economic growth depends on the construction of even more plants.

“Our strategic course on achieving carbon neutrality remains unchanged. However, its implementation should be approached more rationally. We need to effectively use our natural wealth and natural advantages,” Tokayev stated, adding that at present the country is heavily dependent on coal-fired power plants.

“Against the background of a growing energy deficit, the construction of the first nuclear power plant should be accelerated and, in general, the creation of a nuclear cluster in the country should be started. This is an important task to ensure the progress of our country,” Tokayev stated.

A majority of Kazakhs approved a referendum question last autumn on the construction of a nuclear power plant. The question that remains open is who will build the plants envisioned by the government. There is widespread public concern that Russia’s nuclear agency, Rosatom, will get the construction contracts, despite worries about the Russian firm’s spotty record of adherence to safety standards.

Although Kazakhstan may be embracing nuclear energy, the country is not de-emphasizing natural resource extraction: Bektenov announced January 28 that the country will launch a fracking project to extract shale oil.

“This year, the first Kazakh shale oil is expected to be produced. This will create additional incentives to attract investments to the oil and gas industry,” Bektenov announced. Initial estimates peg the potential fracking production total at roughly 800 million tons in oil equivalent.