Kazakhstan expects to complete Balkhash and Moyynkum nuclear power plants by 2035

Kazakhstan expects to complete the construction of the Balkhash and Moyynkum nuclear power plants by 2035. Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said this on November 4 at a briefing in the government.

The 2,400 MW Balkhash NPP will be built with the participation of an international consortium led by Russia's Rosatom. The station will consist of two power units with VVER-1200 reactors. The cost of the project was previously estimated at about $16.4 billion, and a significant part of the financing is planned to be provided through a Russian export credit. In May 2023, the two countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of the station, and in September Rosatom and Kazakhstan NPP JSC concluded a contract for design, equipment procurement and construction.

On the second station - Moyynkum - Kazakhstan is holding talks with the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). The parties are still coordinating the parameters of the deal, including cost and construction timelines; the final terms have not been agreed.