Rosatom Chosen to Lead International Consortium for Kazakhstan’s First Nuclear Power Plant

Kazakhstan’s interdepartmental commission has named Russia’s Rosatom as the leader of the international consortium for the construction of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, Orda.kz reports.

The selection process was led by the Agency for Atomic Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan and involved the participation of international experts. Vlast.kz reports that the other members of the consortium have yet to be determined.

Several major international companies had submitted bids.

The final list also included China's CNNC, France's EDF, South Korea's KHNP and Russia's Rosatom. All participants submitted detailed proposals, including estimated costs, timeframes, financial models, localization levels and personnel training measures,
the department said in a statement. 

Following a thorough evaluation, Rosatom’s proposal was considered the most optimal for Kazakhstan. China’s CNNC ranked second, while France’s EDF and South Korea’s KHNP shared third place.

Kazakhstan and Rosatom are now in talks over potential export financing from the Russian Federation.

At the same time, Kazakh officials emphasized that cooperation with other countries will continue as part of efforts to build an effective international consortium for the project. 

Original Author: Natalia Ovchinnikova