Russia’s Rosatom State Corporation and Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants LLP (KNPP) have signed an EPC contract for the construction of the Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant in Kazakhstan. The agreement was signed on September 3 on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum. The plant will comprise two power units with a combined electrical capacity of 2,400 MW.
Andrey Petrov, First Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy at Rosatom and President of Atomstroyexport, and Ernat Berdigulov, Director General of KNPP, signed the contract on behalf of their respective organizations. The ceremony was attended by Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, and Almasadam Satkaliyev, Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy.
As leader of the international consortium, Rosatom will oversee the project’s full implementation cycle, including design, equipment procurement, construction, commissioning and handover of the completed facility to the customer.
The plant will be equipped with advanced VVER-1200 reactors, a proven technology designed to meet stringent international safety standards. VVER-1200 units are already operating or under construction in Russia, Belarus, Türkiye, Bangladesh, Hungary, Egypt and China. The reactors have a 60-year service life, extendable by an additional 20 years.
“Building and commissioning power units that meet the highest international safety and efficiency standards will remain our priority at every stage of the project,” said Alexey Likhachev.
Site investigation work, which began in August 2025, is ongoing and is expected to be completed in 2027. Engineers will then prepare the documentation required to obtain construction permits.
