Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on Thursday to build the first nuclear power plant in Central Asia’s largest country at a cost of about 16.5 billion dollars, partially financed through a major Russian export loan.
Kazakhstan, the world’s biggest producer of uranium and a country affected by the fallout from Soviet nuclear testing, has been discussing the possibility of atomic power for at least two decades.
A 2024 referendum supported the construction of a nuclear power plant and designated the village of Ulken, on the shores of Lake Balkhash in southeastern Kazakhstan, as the site for the project.
The two countries also signed an agreement on Russian export credit to finance construction of the plant.
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