Uzbekistan is eager to commence the construction and commissioning of the first nuclear power plant as soon as possible and has requested the Russian experts to speed up the resolving of all issues, Uzbek Ambassador to Russia Botirjon Asadov told RIA Novosti Monday.
In early September, the Premiers of Uzbekistan and Russia, Abdulla Aripov and Dmitry Medvedev, signed an agreement on cooperation in the construction of nuclear power plants in the republic. Rosatom is planning to build a complex of two units of the generation “3+” with reactor installations VVER-1200. The agreement entered into force at the end of October. On Monday, the general director of the Republican Agency for the Development of Nuclear Energy (Uzatom), Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov, said that work on the construction of nuclear power plants could begin as early as 2020.
"The site for the future plant is very important of course. Now there are several sites that are being studied. The site where the symbolic launch ceremony took place, in the Jizzakh province, in our opinion, is the best option. But experts are currently still studying. To my understanding, there are a lot of issues to be taken into account, including seismic resistance, availability of water nearby, and so on ... The Uzbek side is requesting to speed up to proceed on these issues in order to commence quickly, because the nuclear power plant is very important to support economic growth, ”the ambassador said.
Asadov noted that the construction of nuclear power plants has allowed to elevate the ties between Uzbekistan and Russia to a new level and “open new areas – such as personnel training, standardization, safety and so on”.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in early October called the construction of a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan a revolutionary decision, the implementation of which will take 8-10 years. According to preliminary estimates, the NPPs will generate up to 20% of the electricity in Uzbekistan.
The project is estimated at about US$ 11 billion, and the first unit is expected to be launched in 2028, the presidential aide Yury Ushakov said earlier. Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his visit to Uzbekistan on October 18-19, said that the construction of the first nuclear power plant in the country would meet the highest safety standards and the most stringent environmental requirements.
