Uzbekistan President Mirziyoyev Meets Rosatom Director General, Focusing on Implementation and Supporting Construction of the First Integrated Nuclear Power Plant Project

Uzbekistan President Shavkat·Mirziyoyev met on October 23 in the capital Tashkent with visiting Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) Director General Alexey·Likhachev. The two sides held in-depth working talks on core topics including the comprehensive advancement and implementation of Uzbekistan's first integrated nuclear power plant project, the introduction and adaptation of cutting-edge nuclear energy technologies, and the intensive construction of supporting industrial infrastructure.

According to the press service of the Uzbek presidential administration, the talks focused on the practical engineering fulfillment and key process interfaces of the country's first nuclear power project. After a comprehensive assessment of on-site engineering progress, the two sides noted that the underground structural works for the foundation of the first nuclear reactor building have been fully launched, and that the main engineering design and refined site survey work for the nuclear power plant are proceeding steadily according to established milestones, marking that Central Asia's first modern nuclear power base has substantively entered the infrastructure implementation phase.

Cultivating local high-quality nuclear industry technical talent was another major focus of this high-level bilateral consultation. The two sides held in-depth discussions on mechanisms for carrying out nuclear-related professional degree education relying on the Tashkent Branch of MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI), and plan to select Uzbek engineering backbone personnel in batches to go to advanced nuclear power plants and research institutes under the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation for practical training and shift work, thereby building a solid talent reserve pool for Uzbekistan's emerging nuclear industry echelon.

In addition to the direct engineering of the nuclear power plant site, Mirziyoyev and Likhachev also jointly reviewed the planning scheme for a supporting modern comprehensive residential town adjacent to the proposed nuclear power plant. The planned dedicated nuclear power new town will integrate high-standard energy-saving housing, modern primary and secondary schools and medical health centers, comprehensive sports venues, and various cultural, entertainment, and commercial supporting facilities, aiming to create a high-quality livable environment for the thousands of engineering and technical personnel and their families who will participate in the long-term construction and commercial operation and maintenance of the power plant in the future.

As the core Russian entity leading the delivery of this project, the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, founded in 2007, is a leading enterprise in the global nuclear fuel cycle and reactor construction field, with business depth covering the entire chain of natural uranium exploration and mining, isotope enrichment, nuclear fuel assembly manufacturing, reactor engineering general contracting, nuclear power operation, and final disposal of radioactive waste. According to the group's corporate financial reports, it has integrated more than 400 specialized nuclear-related institutions and currently holds a large scale of transnational commercial nuclear power orders in multiple regions including Eurasia, the Middle East, and Africa, and is continuously expanding its overseas nuclear energy cooperation footprint relying on standardized reactor technology.