Uzbekistan Prepares for Second Nuclear Power Plant Project

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on August 17 at a ceremony launching investment projects in the Khorezm region that Uzbekistan is carrying out large-scale preparatory work for the construction of a second nuclear power plant. This marks the first time the country has publicly mentioned the second NPP project.

Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan has advanced a number of energy and infrastructure projects in recent years, with the nuclear power plant under construction in the Jizzakh region being one of them. He noted that the second NPP is still in the preparation stage, with the project site, installed capacity, construction timeline, and potential contractors yet to be announced.

At the same event, Uzbekistan launched 12 new projects totaling $176 million and commenced construction on 15 projects worth $7.424 billion, expected to create approximately 6,600 jobs. Mirziyoyev emphasized that a stable electricity supply and predictable electricity costs are important conditions for attracting investors. Under Uzbekistan's 2030 development strategy, the country needs to continue expanding electricity supply and take measures to reduce energy costs.

Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant is located near Tuzkan Lake in the Farish district of the Jizzakh region, with the participation of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom). According to the published plan, the project will build two VVER-1000 large pressurized water reactor units and two RITM-200N small modular reactor units at the same site, with a total installed capacity of approximately 2,110 MW.

Under the current schedule, the first small modular reactor at the Jizzakh NPP is planned to enter technical trial operation between October and November 2029, with the second small modular reactor expected to follow about six months later; the first large unit is planned to be commissioned in 2033, and the entire project is expected to be completed between 2034 and 2035. The base cost of the project is approximately $9.5 billion, with funding primarily from loans, including Russian preferential export credits. Rosatom will be responsible for nuclear fuel supply, maintenance services, and spent nuclear material processing.