Chinese CNNC Can Build Nuclear Power Plant in Kazakhstan in 7 Years

The Chinese corporation CNNC is ready to build a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan in seven years, taking into account the time required to prepare documents. The project's cost is preliminarily estimated at 5.6 billion dollars, but this amount may increase, Orda.kz reports.

Oil and gas industry expert Nurlan Zhumagulov wrote on his personal Telegram channel that China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) is considering building a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan. He said he spoke with a representative of the corporation at the KazAtomExpo exhibition.

According to Nurlan Zhumagulov, they estimate the cost of building two power units of one gigawatt each at $5.6 billion. Implementing such a project in China would take five years. The expert notes that, in practice, the cost of building a nuclear power plant may be significantly higher.

For Kazakhstan, the price may be completely different due to many factors: the cost of metal, logistics costs, the wage fund for workers, the cost of money (interest surcharge in the case of a Chinese loan). In terms of time, preparing documentation and adaptation will take a couple of years in Kazakhstan, but the construction itself can be completed in five years, noted Nurlan Zhumagulov .

The analyst emphasized that CNNC's proposal is not final. The Chinese company has not yet calculated the budget for the nuclear power plant and has not yet decided on the financing model. Therefore, all calculations should be taken as preliminary only.