Kazakhstan signs contract with Rosatom for construction of first nuclear power plant
Kazakhstan has signed a contract with a subsidiary of Russia's Rosatom for the design, supply of equipment, and construction of the country's first nuclear power plant. The signing moves the Balkhash NPP project to a practical implementation phase, although the document still needs to pass the approval procedures provided for by intergovernmental agreements.
The contract was signed by the Kazakh company Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Stations and Atomstroyexport, which is part of the Russian state corporation Rosatom. The ceremony took place in Vladivostok as part of the Eastern Economic Forum.
The signing took place in the presence of the Chairman of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy, Almasadam Satkaliyev, and Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev.
The Kazakh agency stated that the contract moves the construction of the country's first nuclear power plant to a new practical stage. At the same time, the agreement does not mean the completion of all legal procedures: in accordance with the intergovernmental agreement between Kazakhstan and Russia dated May 28, the parties must go through further stages, including obtaining the necessary approval from the Government of Kazakhstan.
In May, Astana and Moscow separately agreed on the basic principles and conditions of cooperation for the construction of the plant, and signed an agreement on providing Kazakhstan with a Russian state export credit to finance the project.
The NPP will be built near Lake Balkhash
The first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan is planned to be located near the village of Ulken in the Zhambyl district of Almaty region, near Lake Balkhash. In 2025, engineering surveys have already begun at the future site to prepare project documentation.
For the plant, Russian VVER-1200 generation III+ technology has been chosen. The electric capacity of one such power unit is about 1200 MW, and the total installed capacity of future nuclear generation within the project should be at least 2.4 GW.
The plant itself was named Balkhash NPP. The name was chosen based on the results of a nationwide competition that Kazakhstan held in autumn 2025.
Rosatom has outpaced competitors
The Russian corporation was identified as the leader of an international consortium for the construction of the first Kazakh nuclear power plant in June 2025. In addition to Rosatom, China's CNNC, France's EDF, and South Korea's KHNP competed for the project.
The Kazakh interdepartmental commission then called Rosatom's proposal the most optimal and beneficial. Second place according to the evaluation results was taken by China's CNNC, followed by France's EDF and Korea's KHNP. At the same time, Astana began working on attracting Russian state export financing.
During project implementation, Kazakhstan plans to maximally involve local enterprises, specialists, goods, and services. The authorities expect that the construction of the NPP will not only increase baseline electricity generation, but also stimulate localization of production and creation of own competencies in the nuclear industry.
The decision to develop nuclear energy was supported in a nationwide referendum in October 2024. 71.12% of referendum participants, or more than 5.56 million citizens of Kazakhstan, voted for the construction of the NPP.
Based on materials: Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy, Government of Kazakhstan, Central Referendum Commission of Kazakhstan
