Construction of the first integrated nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan will begin in 2027. Staff at the facility is planned to increase from the current 1 thousand to a peak of 12-13 thousand. Alexey Likhachev, General Director of state corporation Rosatom, announced this to journalists on October 23.
Plans for this and next year
According to Likhachev, 2027 will see the completion of survey work and design of the main station. This year, work on the site should conclude concrete pouring of foundation slabs for reactor compartments of two small power units. Construction of the control building, reactor hall, and turbine hall is also to begin.
Local contractors and localization
The project involves local contractors, including a "nominated" subcontractor. Rosatom estimates that localization of competencies could reach 40%. As Likhachev explained, this will increase the project's economic efficiency and allow for training specialists who can later participate in construction of the corporation's facilities in other countries.
"The more work local contractors do, the more efficient the economic model will be. And this is beneficial for us in terms of project workforce sustainability," explained Rosatom's head.
Staff training
Specialist training is underway in parallel: about 350 people study at MIFI's Tashkent branch, another approximately 900 in Russian universities, including Rosatom's specialized institutions.
What this means for the market
Growth in employment at the site and expansion of local contractor participation signal the project's transition to active construction phase. For investors in Uzbekistan, this is a benchmark for timing and scale of a major energy infrastructure project.