Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Uzbekistan and Russia will build a small nuclear power plant (SNP) in Jizzakh region. This is stated in a press release from Uzatom.

During the state visit of the President of Russia to Uzbekistan, Director General of the Rosatom State Corporation Alexey Likhachev and Director of the Atomic Energy Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan Azim Akhmedkhadjaev exchanged documents on expanding cooperation for the construction of a small nuclear power plant according to a Russian project in Uzbekistan.

The agreement envisages the construction of a nuclear power plant in Jizzakh region with a capacity of 330 MW, including up to 6 reactors with a capacity of 55 MW each.

The general contractor for the construction of the station will be Rosatom. At the same time, local companies will also be involved in the project.

“Rosatom confirmed its undeniable global leadership in nuclear energy by signing the first ever export contract for the construction of a small nuclear power plant. And this is not just a preliminary agreement, we will immediately begin construction this summer,” Alexey Likhachev commented on the signing.

“According to forecasts, in Uzbekistan the demand for energy resources will almost double by 2050, and it is obvious that for stable operation of the energy system and economic development, our country must provide itself, in addition to renewable energy sources, with a basic source of energy. All over the world, we are now seeing an increase in interest in the creation of new nuclear capacities, both in terms of the construction of high-power nuclear power plants and in the projects of small modular reactors. And we believe that expanding cooperation with Rosatom will allow us to strengthen our energy complex with advanced technologies in nuclear energy,” commented on the signing the director of the Atomic Energy Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Azim Akhmedkhadjaev.

The selected site for the construction of the SNP has already been tested for safety, which will reduce the project implementation time.

The project for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Jizzakh region is based on the latest Russian development - the RITM-200N water-cooled reactor, the result of adapting innovative ship-based technology for land-based deployment. Thermal power of RITM-200N is 190 MW, electrical power is 55 MW, service life is up to 60 years.

Reactors of the RITM 200 series have been successfully tested in the Arctic on Russian icebreakers, which confirms their reliability and efficiency.