Russia and Kyrgyzstan have reached an agreement on construction of a small nuclear power plant in Kyrgyzstan.

Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom says the agreement was reached during talks that were held on January 20 in Dubai on the sidelines of EXPO 2020. 

Under the memorandum signed by Alexey Likhachev, Director General of ROSATOM, and Doskul Bekmurzayev, Minister of Energy and Industry of Kyrgyzstan, the parties expressed their interest in developing cooperation to construct a small modular reactor nuclear power plant based on the RITM-200N reactor plant in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.

Additionally, the Memorandum of Cooperation envisages assistance in the development of nuclear infrastructure in the Kyrgyz Republic and joint work to improve the qualification of R&D and technical support personnel in various areas of the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

"Implementing SMR NPP projects is one of the top priorities of ROSATOM, they will considerably change the energy mix of many countries around the globe and contribute to the development of remote areas with locked energy grids. The construction of a plant like this in Kyrgyzstan will not only improve the country’s energy independence, but also contribute to the public’s quality of life and the development of R&D and technology potential in Central Asia as a whole," stated Alexey Likhachev, Director General of ROSATOM.

"Decarbonization and the development of environmentally clean sources of energy is a current global trend Kyrgyzstan would like to follow. We are confident that further cooperation with the Rosatom State Corporation will open up new horizons for the development of our country’s energy sector, economy and industry," said Tilek Aitaliyev, Deputy Energy Ministry of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The memorandum of cooperation on construction of small nuclear power plant was signed between the Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan and ROSATOM Corporation.