On June 4, via videoconference from St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, joined by International Atomic Energy Agency Director general Rafael Grossi, celebrated the start of construction on the first unit of a new nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. 

“The start of pouring concrete for the foundation of Unit 1 of the future nuclear power plant marks the beginning of the construction of one of the largest nuclear power plants in the region,” Putin said.

The event, on the sidelines of the  St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, comes more than two months after the heads of Uzatom and Rosatom, partnering on the project, marked the start of construction at the site in Jizzakh region’s Forish district.

In May 2024, during a state visit to Uzbekistan, Putin and Mirziyoyev shook hands on a deal the latter called “vital”: the construction of a nuclear power plant. Various configurations have been floated, but the current plan includes two small modular reactors (SMRs), specifically RITM-200N reactors, with a capacity of 55 megawatts each and two large VVER-1000 reactors, each generating 1 GW.

“The fact that Russia and Uzbekistan are implementing such a truly flagship high-tech project is a shining example of the friendship and alliance between our two countries and testifies to the successful and dynamic development of the Russian-Uzbek strategic partnership across all areas,” Putin proclaimed this week.

Mirziyoyev called the moment “historic.”

“We are ushering in a new era of technological, industrial, and scientific development for our country,” he added. “In Uzbekistan, the foundations are being laid for the development of a new field – modern nuclear energy – an industry that symbolizes advanced scientific capabilities, cutting-edge engineering expertise, and a strategic vision for the future.”

While government statements – including Putin’s recent remarks – list the large reactors first, it’s actually the small ones that will be constructed first.

Once fully operational, Uzbek authorities claim that the plant will meet over 15 percent of Uzbekistan’s electricity needs – around 16-17 billion kWh per year. 

The first unit, providing 55 megawatts of energy, is planned to go critical in late 2029, if construction stays on schedule. 

Uzatom Director Azim Ahmedkhodjayev said this week that the case cost of the nuclear power plant – two small reactors and two large reactors on the same site – is $9.5 billion. The financing is still being sorted out, with Uzbekistan hoping to score funding through the BRICS New Development Bank, among others.

“We want to attract 85-90 percent [of the project’s cost in loan funds],” Ahmedkhodjayev said.

Putin has promised support. “Importantly, Russia will not only build the nuclear power plant but also provide its Uzbek partners with a preferential export loan and support throughout the plant’s entire lifecycle,” he said on June 4. 

That’s a deal Russia has extended also to Kazakhstan, where Russia was selected to construct its first modern nuclear power plant. Earlier this week, Putin touched down in the Kazakh capital for a state visit – and the signing of several agreements critical to the nuclear power plant project planned for the village of Ulken, on the shores of Lake Balkhash.

In Kazakhstan, Rosatom is set to build a pair of VVER-1200 III+ reactors with a combined capacity of 2.4 GWe. The cost is higher, with Almasadam Satkaliyev, the head of Kazakhstan’s atomic energy agency, telling reporters that the project will cost, in total, around  $16.4 billion, to include about $2 billion for security and infrastructure.

Kazakh officials have pegged 2027 for the genuine start of construction and are targeting early 2034 to commission the first reactor. 

Central Asia is pushing forward into a new nuclear era. The industries that regional governments position as the keys to future growth – critical minerals and AI, most prominently – are energy intensive. The region’s population is booming, and its existing energy mix is already insufficient. But those same future industries – and the nuclear power generation necessary to support them – are all tremendously water-intensive. And water is a diminishing resource in the region.

With each successive celebration of a starting point, a next step, these questions will only grow more acute.