Uzatom launches initial construction phase of Jizzakh nuclear power project

Initial construction has commenced in Jizzakh district for a construction and installation base that will support the development of a low-capacity nuclear power plant featuring RITM-200N reactors. Earlier, the head of Uzatom noted that the project's technical and economic feasibility study had not yet been finalized.

Photo: "Uzatom" press service

According to the Uzatom Agency, the first production buildings for the small nuclear power plant project in Jizzakh are now under construction.

On April 15, construction work began on the infrastructure base in Jizzakh district. This base will play a key infrastructural role during the construction phase of the power units. It will include administrative buildings, production workshops, storage facilities, and large assembly facilities.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Otabek Omonov, Director of the Directorate for NPP Construction, and Pavel Bezrukov, Vice President of Russia’s Atomstroyexport.

Preparatory work for the project began in the summer of 2024. The first construction headquarters meeting was held in June, followed by the commencement of a rotational workers’ residential area in August. In addition to the nuclear power plant, the area is planned to host cultural, educational, and healthcare facilities.

As a reminder, based on an agreement signed between Uzbekistan and Russia on May 27, 2024, a small-scale nuclear power plant with a total capacity of 330 MW will be built in Jizzakh district. It will comprise six reactors, each with a capacity of 55 MW.

The station will be powered by the RITM-200N reactors, a land-based adaptation of the RITM-200 water-cooled nuclear reactors previously used on icebreaker ships. However, this technology has not yet been used on land.

The main contractor for the project is Atomstroyexport JSC, the engineering division of Russia’s Rosatom. Uzbek companies, including Saneg, may also be involved in the construction. The project's cost is expected to remain under $2 billion, with most of the financing to be secured through external loans.

Uzatom Director Azim Akhmedkhodjaev stated in an interview last month that the cost price of the electricity generated by the plant will be disclosed once the technical and economic assessment is completed.

In a statement last year, Uzatom said the first reactor of the nuclear plant is expected to be launched five years from now.

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