Kazakhstan, Russia plan to build nuclear power plant

AKTAU, KAZAKHSTAN - Russia and Kazakhstan are discussing the possibility for developing jointly the next generation nuclear power plant units with the capacity of 300 MW with the purpose of entering other countries' markets in the future, Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov has said opening a meeting of the working group for the issues of developing nuclear energy.

The meeting is attended by a Russian delegation led by Sergey Kiriyenko, head of Rosatom [Russian Atomic Energy Agency].

"I think that we (Kazakhstan and Russia - Interfax-Kazakhstan) should have a unified energy policy in all spheres including nuclear industry and nuclear energy, Daniyal Akhmetov said. The prime minister noted that experts of both countries had prepared a number of projects including on extracting uranium and creating a joint venture on uranium enrichment.

"However, the most important issue is developing a new generation power units and, as a result, entering the markets of other countries," prime minister said.

Sergey Novikov, the press secretary of the Rosatom, told journalists that they were talking about developing a nuclear power station equipped with a new type of VBER-300 power units, designed by the Afrikantov Machinery Design Bureau. The draft version of the first such nuclear power station which will be constructed in Kazakhstan includes three power units with the capacity of 300 MW each.