Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Vladimir Putin to launch construction of nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to launch the construction of the first power unit of a nuclear power plant being built in Uzbekistan by Russia’s Rosatom corporation on June 4 this year. Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian president, announced this today, June 2.

According to him, the presidents will meet on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and, via video link, give the “green light” to the construction of Uzbekistan’s first nuclear power plant.

“In connection with President Mirziyoyev’s participation in the forum, a bilateral meeting will naturally also be held. It will take place on the evening of June 4 at the Konstantinovsky Palace,” Ushakov told journalists.

He noted that the start of the talks between the leaders of Uzbekistan and Russia would carry symbolic significance.

“The meeting will begin in a rather symbolic and interesting way. The two leaders will take part in a video conference dedicated to the launch of construction of the first power unit of an integrated nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan,” the Russian presidential aide said.

Ushakov described the project as one of the largest and most important joint initiatives between the two countries.

“During the ceremony, the leaders will be at the Konstantinovsky Palace, while at the construction site they will be greeted, in particular, by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev and Uzatom Agency Director Azim Akhmedkhodjayev,” he said.

For reference, the two sides signed an intergovernmental agreement on creating nuclear power capacity in Uzbekistan in 2018. The agreement initially envisaged the construction of two power units, each with a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts. In 2025, the parties agreed to build six small units, each with a capacity of 55 megawatts. However, the project was later revised, and amendments to the contract were introduced in March 2026.

Under the new agreement, Rosatom will build two large-capacity power units in Uzbekistan based on Russia’s VVER-1000 reactors, as well as two small nuclear units based on RITM-200 reactors, each with a capacity of 55 megawatts. The plant may become the first small-capacity nuclear power plant built by Russia abroad.

At present, none of the five Central Asian countries has a nuclear power plant. In June last year, Kazakhstan selected Rosatom as the head of an international consortium for the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant. The Russian corporation plans to use its flagship Generation 3+ VVER-1200 reactor for the project. In May this year, Moscow and Astana signed an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of the Balkhash nuclear power plant, which could have a capacity of 2.4 gigawatts and cost around $16.5 billion.

Earlier, Pavel Bezrukov, Vice President of Atomstroyexport JSC, Rosatom’s engineering division, and director of the nuclear power plant construction project in Uzbekistan, said that maximum benefits would be provided to local and Russian-Uzbek joint ventures that decide to work at the nuclear power plant site in Uzbekistan.