Serbian President Says China to Participate in Uzbekistan's Second Nuclear Power Plant Project

Serbian President Aleksandar·Vučić stated on September 8 at the Uzbekistan—Serbia Business Forum held in Belgrade that China will participate in Uzbekistan's second nuclear power plant project. He said the information came from a private conversation with Uzbek President Shavkat·Mirziyoyev earlier that morning.

Vučić relayed that Mirziyoyev briefed him on two nuclear energy projects in Uzbekistan, one implemented in cooperation with Russia and the other planned to advance with China. Vučić quoted Mirziyoyev as saying: “One nuclear power plant is being built in cooperation with the Russians, and another is being built in cooperation with the Chinese.”

This marks the first time it has been publicly disclosed that China may become a partner in Uzbekistan's second nuclear power plant project. Previously, the Uzbek side had confirmed preparations for building a second nuclear power plant but had not disclosed the partner country or specific participants.

Vučić linked Uzbekistan's advancement of nuclear power projects to future electricity demand growth. He stated that Mirziyoyev is assessing the country's electricity needs in advance, taking into account factors such as data centers, artificial intelligence, innovative industries, and electric vehicle development. Vučić also believes that European countries need to increase their power generation capacity in advance to meet growing electricity consumption.

Currently, official parameters for Uzbekistan's second nuclear power project have not been announced, with no public information available on site selection, installed capacity, reactor type, construction timeline, or total investment. On August 17, during a visit to Khorezm Region, Mirziyoyev stated that “major preparatory work” was underway for the construction of the second nuclear power plant, but did not specify the partner at that time.

Uzbekistan's first nuclear power project, located in the Farish district of Jizzakh Region, is being advanced in cooperation with Russia. The project plans to build two VVER-1000 pressurized water reactor units with a single-unit capacity of 1 GW each, as well as two RITM-200N small modular reactors with a single-unit capacity of 55 MW each.

Under current plans, the first small reactor is expected to undergo technical testing in October-November 2029, with the second small reactor to be tested approximately six months later. The first large unit is scheduled to commence operation in 2033, with the entire nuclear power plant expected to be completed between 2034 and 2035.

The planned total installed capacity of Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant is 2,110 MW, with an estimated annual electricity generation of 17 billion kilowatt-hours, and the project's baseline cost is estimated not to exceed $9.5 billion. Regarding the specific arrangements for China's participation in the second nuclear power project, including the names of participating institutions, technical route, capacity configuration, and project costs, no official announcements have been made.