Tashkent, 23 October. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev received Alexei Likhachev, director general of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, and discussed with him the construction of the country's first nuclear power plant in Jizzakh region, staff training and a nuclear workers' town near the plant designed for more than 30,000 specialists and their families, Gazeta.uz reports, citing the press services of the president and Rosatom.
At the site in Farish district of Jizzakh region, the foundation of the first reactor building is now being built and design work on the plant continues. On 22 October, the day before the meeting, Likhachev visited the construction site: according to Rosatom, concrete has been poured into the foundation slab of the first small power unit since June, 25 machines are working on it, and 10,000 cubic metres of concrete will have been laid in the slab by the end of 2026.
The two sides discussed staffing separately. "Particular attention was paid to training qualified personnel for the industry, including at the Tashkent branch of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI and at Rosatom facilities," the president's press service said. According to Rosatom, construction of the nuclear workers' town has already begun; it will have energy-efficient housing, schools, and medical and sports facilities.
The Uzbek plant is designed as an integrated one: in March 2026 the two sides signed an agreement under which the station will combine two large units with VVER-1000 reactors of 1,000 MW each and two small units with RITM-200N reactors of 55 MW each. Total capacity will be 2,110 MW, and output at full capacity about 17.2 billion kWh a year. According to figures presented to the president on 2 September, the project is estimated to cost $9.5 billion; Russia is expected to provide a preferential export loan. The first small reactor is scheduled for technical start-up in 2029 and the first large unit in 2033, with the whole project to be completed in 2034–2035.
What it means: Construction of Uzbekistan's nuclear plant has reached the concrete stage: the foundation of the first unit is being poured and a town for the staff is going up next to it. The first nuclear kilowatt-hours are expected in 2029, from a small reactor.
Who benefits: Uzbekistan gains about 17.2 billion kWh a year of its own generation once the plant reaches full capacity. Rosatom gets one of its largest foreign orders. For Kazakhstan, its neighbour's project is of interest as an example: the same corporation is leading the Kazakh project, so timelines, staffing and financing can be compared.
Background: In 2025 Rosatom was chosen to lead the international consortium building Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant, Balkhash, near the village of Ulken; the Atomic Energy Agency estimates its cost at $16.4 billion, and according to agency head Almasadam Satkaliyev, Russia will provide 85% of the funds as a loan. Construction of Uzbekistan's first unit began on 4 June 2026; on 16 October Mirziyoyev announced plans for a second and third nuclear plant.
List of sources used: Gazeta.uz, Kapital.kz
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
