The Cost of a Small Nuclear Power Plant in Uzbekistan Will Be Less Than US$1 Billion — Head of Construction Directorate

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The cost of constructing a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan will be less than US$1 billion, Abduzhamil Kalmuratov, head of the Nuclear Power Plant Construction Directorate, stated on October 6 during a press tour of the site in the Farish District of Jizzakh Region.

Answering a question about the source of funding for preparatory work, Kalmuratov emphasized that the project is being implemented using state budget funds, according to Spot.

“Yes, it’s the state budget. The government is building this — it’s a fully Uzbek project. The source of funding is our budget. The nuclear project must be national,” he noted.

The final cost of the project will be known after the contract is signed. According to Kalmuratov, about 60% of expenses fall on the first stage of construction, while the remaining portion ranges from 25% to 40%, depending on the type of reactor. The reduction in the number of small nuclear plant reactors from six to two will not result in a direct threefold decrease in cost. “You can’t just divide by three here. Rather, we’re talking about roughly half the cost — slightly more than half of the previous sum. But thanks to integration with the large nuclear power plant, the overall cost is reduced again,” he explained.

At the same time, the head of the Directorate did not provide further details, citing the need for additional calculations following integration with the large nuclear power plant, assuring that the exact price will be specified in the final contract.