BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, October 5. Kyrgyzstan is in the process of selecting a site for the construction of a small nuclear power plant, Energy Minister Taalaibek Ibrayev announced during a meeting of the "Eldik" parliamentary group.
Ibraev also revealed plans to cease electricity imports by 2027.
"Currently, the energy deficit in the country stands at 300-400 MW. If we commission at least one solar power plant, we can stop importing electricity," he stated.
To note, the Russian state corporation Rosatom is set to construct the small nuclear plant based on the RITM-200N water-water reactor design in Kyrgyzstan. The project is expected to take approximately 10 years to complete. By March 2024, Rosatom had finalized a preliminary feasibility study for the project.
During the XIII Atomexpo forum in March 2024, Deputy Energy Minister Taalaibek Baigaziev stated that a base nuclear power station will have a capacity of 100-300 megawatts.
Among Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan is moving the fastest with its nuclear initiatives, including a referendum on building a nuclear power plant set for October 6, 2024.
