[UPDATED] Uzbekistan’s energy minister has announced a plan to double the amount of electricity generated by nuclear power in the country in the coming years, stating in an interview that the country will seek construction of four reactors, rather than two.
Alisher Sultanov told Kun.uz of the new plans, the World Nuclear Association reported.
The first two domestic power reactors to be constructed in the country are expected to be commissioned in 2028 and 2030. On order are two VVER-1200 reactors slated for the Lake Tuzkan region in the Farishky district. Two more, which will be constructed at the same site, are to help answer the need for new electricity demand in the fast-growing central Asian economy of Uzebekistan. Demand for electricity is expected to double by 2030. The first nuclear plant, meanwhile, will supply 18 percent of the country’s electricity needs when the plant is up and running, WNA said.
“The two units that we are building, with 1200 MW each, will be followed by two more units. The site that has been chosen takes into account the siting of four units,” Sutanov has said.
Uzebekistan has no domestic power reactor, but it has been home to a 10 MW research reactor for 60 years. In 1994, the country signed on as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency.