Kazakhstan signs memorandum of understanding with South Korea's KHNP

NUR-SULTAN. June 28 (Interfax-Kazakhstan) - Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants LLP and the nuclear technology supplier Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of nuclear energy development on June 28, 2022 in Seoul during a visit by the Kazakh delegation led by Deputy Energy Minister Zhandos Nurmaganbetov, the ministry's press office said in a statement.

"The signing of this memorandum will help strengthen the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and South Korea in the field of nuclear energy development," the statement says.

General Director of Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants LLP Timur Zhantikin said earlier that currently fournuclear power plant (NPP) technologies are under consideration, while the US and Japan's projects were excluded from the list of potential suppliers.

"Naturally, it's Rosatom, which is now building more than anyone else, not only having technologies that have been proven successful but the entire construction process that is well worked out. We always look at the supply chain. France. China is now confidently entering the market. Korea, as you know, has built the most recent project in the Emirates and launched the first unit, and now embarking on projects in Europe and the USA," he said then.

The Kazakh government earlier said it was actively studying the technologies of six global manufacturers of nuclear reactors, i.e. NuScale Power (U.S., NuScale reactor), GE-Hitachi (U.S.-Japan, BWRX-300 reactor), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP, South Korea, APR-1000 and APR-1400 reactors), CNNC (China, HPR-1000 and CNP-600+ reactors), Rosatom (Russia, VVER-1200 and VVER-1000 reactors), and Electricite de France (EDF, France, ATMEA1 reactor).

Kazakh Energy Minister Bolat Akchulakov said earlier that a decision on the technology for building an NPP in Kazakhstan would be made in 2023.

As reported earlier, Kazakhstan plans to build it near the village of Ulken in Almaty region.

It was also noted that now experts are inclined towards generation III ++ nuclear power plant reactors manufactured by companies in France, Russia, China, South Korea and Japan.

The possibility of building a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan has been under discussion for many years. As the republic may face a shortage of electricity in the future, the government has returned to an NPP construction project. The NPP project is not very much welcomed by the population, but the authorities believe it's a necessary thing to do.

The Kazakh Energy Ministry expects construction to take up to ten years, with the cost of one power unit's construction reaching $5 billion. Kazakhstan's energy balance forecast for the period up to 2035 proposes the launch of an NPP with an aggregate capacity of 2.4 GW among possible options.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that Russia was ready to build an NPP for Kazakhstan. Putin then stressed that this offer was not limited to just constructing an NPP. "This is about the creation of the whole sector, which would include training of personnel at Russian higher-educational institutions in new professions associated with the use of nuclear power," he said.

The Kazakh Energy Ministry and the Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom concluded a memorandum on cooperation in training personnel for the civilian nuclear energy industry in early 2022.