A referendum in Kazakhstan decided that there should be a nuclear power plant in the country. The president of Kazakhstan has already launched a new intrigue with the nuclear power plant, saying that the plant should be built by an international consortium. Previously, potential contractors in Astana included Russia’s Rosatom, China’s CNNC, South Korea’s KHNP and France’s EDF. Experts point out that the Kazakh authorities may mistakenly understand a consortium as a standard construction of a nuclear power plant, in which renowned international companies participate.
“This is a difficult question. The government must analyze and carry out appropriate negotiations. My personal view on this issue is that an international consortium consisting of global companies with the most advanced technologies should operate in Kazakhstan. So, as they say, life will tell,” said the president of Kazakhstan on the day of the referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
He did not specify what he was referring to. General Director of Kazakh Nuclear Power Plants of the State Investment Holding Samruk-Kazyny Timur Zhantikin He told Kursiv that the idea of the consortium is being promoted by the Ministry of Energy and that he still does not understand how the department envisions it.
It is possible that the consortium refers to the generalized scheme under which, for example, Rosatom operates.
“It often happens that different artists, even from different countries, take certain directions. Furthermore, there are few companies in the world capable of covering all areas on their own. So if President Tokayev understands such a division of labor by a consortium, then this is nothing new. The main thing is that there is a single general contractor capable of organizing cooperation.” – says the director of the Atominfo Center Alexander Uvarov.
He points out that during the construction of a nuclear power plant, several large areas of work can be distinguished: “Reactor equipment, turbine equipment, electrical equipment, control. Let’s add to this the operation, fuel supply and spare parts. On top of everything there is money.”
The director of Nuclear Power Plants of Kazakhstan, Timur Zhantikin, also spoke about the same possible understanding of the consortium in Kazakhstan.
“For example, we can look at the Akkuyu project (a nuclear power plant in Türkiye that Rosatom is building). It all started with Akkuyu, someone who didn’t understand it. The Akkuyu Nuclear project company was created there, which includes three companies. This company leads the project, but may hire other companies. For example, they bought turbines and generators from the French, they bought control electronics from the Germans, they bought something else from someone else, but the companies that are subcontracted are not a consortium. A design company may be created, but it will not be a consortium. “It’s just a design company.” – said Timur Zhantikin to Kursiv.
According to him, it is still known that fuel for nuclear power plants will be produced in Kazakhstan: “Economically it is not profitable, even if only for one plant, but they (the Kazakh-Chinese joint venture Ulba-TVS) supply the Chinese market and there are billing and income. That is, the market is large and part of this fuel we can use ourselves.”
