The construction of the first two small modular reactors (SMRs) at Uzbekistan’s integrated nuclear power plant (NPP) is estimated to cost $1 billion. This figure was shared by, Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Uzbekistan Sukhrob Abdurakhmanov, during the INNOPROM. Central Asia exhibition in Tashkent today.
The three-day expo is organized by Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade in collaboration with Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade.
“Even in the project's first phase, with costs estimated at approximately $1 billion, there is a massive demand for high-quality products,” Abdurakhmanov noted during a panel session at the exhibition.
According to him, this initial stage involves the construction of two small reactors, each with a capacity of 55 MW.
“This project is pushing our domestic enterprises—from electrical manufacturers to construction material suppliers—to reach a fundamentally higher level of standardization. We view this as a powerful catalyst for industrial modernization,” the CCI Deputy Chairman stated.
He further estimated that the NPP project in Jizzakh province would spark the development of a massive cluster of supporting businesses, including maintenance, transport, logistics, and social infrastructure. “This means thousands of new jobs and new growth opportunities for Uzbekistan’s small and medium-sized enterprises,” he added.
In March 2025, the chief of Uzatom Azim Ahmedkhadjaev reported that the cost of Uzbekistan’s small modular nuclear power plant would be under $2 billion. At that time, the plan involved constructing a facility with six reactors providing a total capacity of 330 MW (55 MW each). He stated then that the project would be financed through foreign investment and preferential Chinese loans, avoiding Russian funds and keeping the strain on the national budget to a minimum.
However, by late September of last year, Uzbekistan and Russia signed agreements that reshaped the configuration of the future plant in the Farish district of the Jizzakh province. The new plan scales back the small units from six to two but adds two massive reactors with a capacity of 1 GW each. This hybrid approach—combining small and large-scale reactors on a single site—is expected to be the "most cost-effective option per megawatt-hour."
In October, the director of the NPP Construction Directorate Obeidulla Kalmuratov confirmed that the price tag for the small reactor portion would not exceed $1 billion, with the final figure to be locked in by contract. Crucially, he emphasized that the funding would now come directly from the state treasury. “Yes, it is the state budget. The government is building this—it is a fully Uzbek project. The funding source is our own budget because a nuclear project must be national,” he declared.
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