Kazakhstan’s Nuclear Plant Could Cost at Least $14 Billion

The head of Kazakhstan’s Atomic Energy Agency, Almasadam Satkaliyev, has offered an early estimate on the potential cost of building a nuclear power plant, Orda.kz reports.

Speaking to reporters, Satkaliyev said the final price will depend on the feasibility study:

The cost will be determined based on the feasibility study, that is, we now have indicative parameters that vendors presented as part of their participation in the tender procedures. We cannot announce them now, because they are protected by confidentiality agreements with the participants in the process, but, in general, based on global practice, a station of this level costs somewhere around $14 billion minimum.

Still, he could not yet provide precise data on the construction timeframe and cost. The approximate construction timeline is seven years:

But now we are negotiating, firstly, with all participants in the tender process, that is, with Korean companies, with companies from France. That is, all of them, in principle, have preliminarily expressed interest in participating in the tender. But the final decision will be based on negotiations. 

An intergovernmental agreement is expected to be signed before the end of 2025.

Original Author: Ilya Astakhov