Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on the progress of construction of an integrated nuclear power plant and a modern satellite town in the Jizzakh region.

The development of nuclear energy is considered important for strengthening Uzbekistan’s energy security, ensuring reliable and sustainable baseload electricity, and diversifying the country’s energy sources, The Caspian Post reports, citing Uza.uz.

Construction of the integrated nuclear power plant officially entered the active phase on June 4. Excavation of the reactor building foundation pit has now been completed, with more than 1 million cubic meters of soil removed. At the foundation slab site, 916 cubic meters of concrete have been poured, while earthworks are underway across 100 hectares of the construction and installation base.

Currently, 450 workers and specialists, supported by more than 100 units of specialized equipment, are working at the site.

The project has a total estimated cost of $9.5 billion and is expected to require around 3,000 types of products and equipment.

Preliminary estimates show that locally produced goods will account for 21 percent of the total, equivalent to $1.9 billion. Mirziyoyev said this share was insufficient.

He instructed officials to raise the proportion of domestically produced goods used in the project to at least 30 percent, ensure that national companies carry out at least 65 percent of construction and installation work, and increase the number of local workers and specialists involved to 7,000.

To this end, it was proposed to establish a 200-hectare industrial zone in Forish district specializing in building materials production. The zone is expected to accommodate at least 100 joint ventures and localize production in 15 areas through technology transfer.

The President approved the proposal and directed that a draft resolution offering tax and customs incentives to participants in the industrial zone be submitted by the end of the year.

It was emphasized that construction quality and safety must remain an unconditional priority and that all work must fully comply with IAEA requirements and international standards.