In Korea, Kazakhstan's Minister of Energy, Almasadam Satkaliyev, met with representatives from the country's largest energy companies to discuss cooperation in the nuclear sector, reports a correspondent from the Kapital.kz business information center, citing the press service of the ministry.
“The Korean side congratulated us on the successful referendum regarding the construction of a nuclear power plant and expressed its readiness to support consultations with Korean companies on the matter of building a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan. Together with the Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy of Korea, we discussed the potential for expanding partnership relations in the energy sector, including in the oil and gas industry and renewable energy projects,” the Ministry of Energy explained.
Almasadam Satkaliyev spoke with representatives of Korean companies and discussed the possibility of participating in an international consortium, the creation of which is currently being studied in Kazakhstan as one of the potential models for implementing the nuclear power plant construction project. The Minister noted that a final decision on this matter would be made in 2025.
Following negotiations with representatives of the company “Doosan Enerbility,” a memorandum of understanding was signed. Under the terms of the document, the parties will explore the possibility of localizing the production of energy equipment from the Korean company while preparing local personnel, as well as opening a representative office of the factory in the city of Astana.
It is worth noting that currently, cooperation between Kazakhstan and “Doosan Enerbility” is being carried out within the framework of a project to build a 1000 MW combined cycle power plant in the Turkestan region. “Doosan Enerbility” is conducting a technical assessment of Kazakhstan's energy complex in collaboration with KEPCO KPS to reduce emissions and extend the operational lifespan of the stations.
On October 6, a referendum was held in Kazakhstan regarding the construction of a nuclear power plant. According to the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 63.66% of eligible voters participated in it. The number of citizens who voted in favor of constructing the nuclear station in Kazakhstan amounted to 5,561,937 people or 71.12%. Thus, the referendum was deemed valid. A positive decision was made regarding the question posed in the referendum. First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar reported that the tender to determine contractors for the construction of the nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan would be conducted in approximately 2-2.5 years.