Russia to build small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan

Russia will build a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. It will be the first project of its kind in post-Soviet Central Asia. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said this today at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, foreign news agencies reported.

The nuclear deal, if implemented, would demonstrate Russia’s ability to export not only energy but also advanced technology products to new Asian markets. This comes at a time when Western countries are increasing pressure on Russia through sanctions.

Mirziyoyev also said that Tashkent was interested in buying more oil and gas from Russia. This marks a reversal of a decades-long pattern in which Moscow imported these commodities from Central Asia.

The Uzbek president described Putin’s visit as “historic”. “It heralds the beginning of a new era of comprehensive strategic partnership and allied relations between our countries,” he said. Putin, in turn, described Tashkent as a strategic partner and ally of Moscow.

According to documents published by the Kremlin, Russia’s state-owned nuclear company Rosatom will build up to six nuclear reactors in Uzbekistan, each with a capacity of 55 megawatts. This is a much smaller project than the 2.4-gigawatt project agreed in 2018, which has yet to be completed.

None of the five former Soviet republics in Central Asia has a nuclear power plant, although Uzbekistan and neighbouring Kazakhstan are uranium producers and have long said their growing economies need them. However, Kazakhstan’s project can only go ahead after a nationwide referendum, which has not yet been scheduled.

Uzbekistan has taken advantage of Russia’s efforts to redirect gas exports to Asia in response to its rift with the West over Ukraine. In October last year, it began importing Russian natural gas through the same pipeline that it had previously used to send gas in the opposite direction. Although Uzbekistan’s own production remains substantial, at around 50 billion cubic metres a year, the country is struggling to meet domestic demand in full, and supplies from Russia have enabled Tashkent to avert an energy crisis. Putin added that Russia was prepared to increase gas exports if necessary.

According to Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan is also interested in increasing its imports of Russian oil. The two presidents also said their governments were working on major projects in metal and chemical extraction and production. Russia will also contribute USD 400 million (CZK 9.1 billion) to a USD 500 million joint investment fund to finance projects in Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan’s economy depends heavily on remittances from its citizens working in Russia. The country has maintained close ties with Moscow even after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, Mirziyoyev and other officials in the region have never expressed support for the invasion, and all the countries in the region are also cooperating with the West on projects such as cargo shipping routes designed to bypass Russia.