Moscow: On September 3, on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum, Rosatom State Corporation and Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants LLP (KNPP) signed an EPC contract for the construction of the Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant. The plant will comprise two power units with a total electrical capacity of 2,400 MW. The nuclear power plant will be built near the village of Ulken in the Zhambyl District of Almaty Region, Kazakhstan.
Andrey Petrov, Rosatom First Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy and President of JSC Atomstroyexport, signed the contract on behalf of the Russian side, while ErnatBerdigulov, Director General of KNPP, signed on behalf of the Kazakhstani side. The signing ceremony was attended by Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, and AlmasadamSatkaliev, Chairman of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy.
The signed contract defines the responsibilities of the Russian and Kazakhstani parties in the future Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant project. As the leader of the international consortium, Rosatom will be responsible for the entire project implementation cycle, from design and procurement through construction and commissioning to the handover of the completed facility to the customer.
The future plant will feature state-of-the-art VVER-1200 reactors (water-cooled power reactors with an electrical output of 1,200 MW) of Generation III+. This technology meets the strictest international safety requirements and is already being successfully used at operating and under-construction facilities in Russia, Belarus, Turkey, Bangladesh, Hungary, Egypt and China. The reactor has a service life of 60 years, with the possibility of extending it by a further 20 years.
“The signed document marks a new stage in our cooperation with Kazakhstan. In the near future, Rosatom will carry out design work and establish an international consortium of equipment suppliers. At every stage of the project, our primary objective will be to build and commission power units that meet the strictest international safety and efficiency requirements. We are convinced that Russian nuclear technologies will provide a reliable foundation for Kazakhstan’s energy independence and sustainable development,” said Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev.
Site investigation work, which began in August 2025, is currently underway in the area where the future nuclear power plant will be located. Specialists have drilled more than 60 boreholes to depths of up to 120 metres and collected samples for analysis. The materials are being examined in laboratory conditions to determine the optimal site for the power units. The site investigation work will be completed in 2027, after which engineers will begin preparing the documentation required to obtain the permits needed to commence construction of the power units.
On June 14, 2025, Rosatom was designated as the leader of the international consortium for the construction of Kazakhstan’s first large-capacity nuclear power plant.
In June 2025, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Rosatom and the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy approved an indicative roadmap for the nuclear power plant construction project. The document defines the main stages of interaction between the parties: organisation of engineering and exploration work, preparation of project documentation, as well as conclusion of an Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract.
On May 28, 2026, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Kazakhstan, the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the basic principles and conditions of cooperation for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The agreement defines the main parameters of the nuclear power plant construction project and the key areas of cooperation throughout the plant’s operational life, including maintenance and fuel supplies.
The nuclear power plant construction project is being implemented in accordance with agreements between Kazakhstan and Russia on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The key objectives of the project are to ensure Kazakhstan’s long-term energy security, develop the country’s national nuclear infrastructure, and advance efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.
Russia is one of the world’s leading exporters of nuclear energy technologies and continues to actively develop international cooperation in nuclear power plant construction, including personnel training and the sharing of best practices.
